Camp TV: Specter Islands
by Jrok
Summary: Two years after the events of Camp TV Overload, Chris finds himself roped into another season of what was once his pride and joy. As contestants both new and old compete on Specter Island, they begin to unravel its secrets. However, the island soon begins to grow... unstable. Unfortunately, Chris also begins to fly off the handle. How long until disaster rears its head?
1. Welcome to the Jungle Pt 1

If there was one thing Chris McLean hated, it was public transportation.

It was, in his mind, demeaning to someone with his stature. He had money, he had fame, he had a private jet, he had... No, it was just fame and money- and not a whole lot of each. He had no idea where his private jet was (although he assumed it to be in an impound somewhere after the Vice City incident) and he had lost most of his fortune to drink. Of course, ever since the third season of Camp TV had ended, he had managed to live comfortably from the earnings of his new reality show. Granted, he didn't have millions of dollars, a giant mansion, a yacht, and young starlets waiting at his doorsteps, but he had enough. Despite he still held a position as a reality show host, he lived what was actually a somewhat quiet lifestyle. For the most part Chris actually enjoyed it. Maybe he didn't have everything he had ever hoped for- but, he had enough. For the first time in his life, Chris McLean was happy.

Until he found out Camp TV was renewed for a fourth season.

Yes, two years later, and it was back. The show Chris had thought he had been forever done with. To be honest, Chris did originally have plans to bring it back, which surfaced about halfway through the season. Once Alejandro had been eliminated, there had been a sudden spike in ratings, and Chris thought he could maybe milk the show another year. So, once the season was nearing it's end, he had an idea. Similar to the first season, he would propose a chance to the winner to double their money. All they would have to do was give up their current winnings and participate in another season.

What Chris HADN'T planned on was Noah winning.

Intelligent, resourceful, and- though he would never admit it- actually very charitable, Noah made sure he hired the best lawyers he could find as soon as the season was over. Two months later, he, Justin, and Josh had legal documents stated that they would never again participate in any of Chris' shows. Many of the more popular contestants followed suit, including both Trent and Heather- not to mention other contestants who were otherwise preoccupied. Defeated, Chris admitted defeat, and dropped the idea of Camp TV from his mind forever. So he thought, at least.

Two years later, another season of Camp TV was commissioned, and Chris now found himself on a red-eye flight to England. The worst part? The studio didn't even buy him first class.

Chris groaned, ran a hand thorugh his hair, and turned to the elderly lady sitting next to him.

"You know," Chris said, "I used to have my own plane, once. I flew around the world in that thing with some of my co-workers. And I mean the entire world."

"Oh really?" the old woman yawned.

"Oh yeah," Chris nodded, "we went to Rome, Vegas, Transylvania, Ireland, Australia... we even went to Cuba, once. I mean, it wasn't really legal, but we did it anyway."

"Fantastic," the woman frowned, gazing out of the window impatiently.

"Now look at me," Chris huffed, folding his arms, "stuck in stupid coach class with stupid people and stupid in-flight snacks... "

"If you feel that way, why did you bother coming in the first place?" The old woman scoffed.

"You know what I miss most?" Chris smiled, "I had this button, right? One push, and it could send whoever happened to be sitting next to me at the time soaring out of the plane and into the sky! I used to do it to my intern all the time. Then he sued me and got a restraining order. Good times."

The woman began muttering to herself, and put in earplugs.

"Oh, fine then!" Chris snapped, "Ignore me, see what I care- I'M CHRIS MCLEAN!"

The pilot's voice briefly came over the intercom, and informed the passengers they would be arriving in England in roughly and hour.

"Pfft," Chris muttered, "you know, I think I miss that old plane. Or maybe it's the people that were on it. I mean, they totally hated my guts, but at the same time, I guess they were good company."

Chris frowned, and rested his head on his hands.

"I'm not sure what to think of it," Chris muttered, "seeing everyone again. I honestly thought I had been done with it all."

The old woman, now looking slightly concerned, turned to Chris.

"We all have to face up to our pasts once in a while," she said, "take my grandson, for example. He had a rough life 'til his daddy died, then he went out to live with his aunt down in the southern US. I'm on my way to wish him good by-"

"I'm sorry, was I TALKING to you?" Chris snapped, "I'm trying to have a moment here!"

Chris shook his head and sighed.

"Sheesh," he said, "the nerve of some people!"

~o.0.o~

Four hours later, and Chris had finally arrived at Specter Island. As soon as he had gotten off the plane, he set out to the docks to pay someone to transport him to the island. It was a surprisingly difficult task. No one was willing to sail through the water, due to the severe levels of radiation that had sprung up seemingly overnight about two years ago. When he finally did find someone willing, they took damn near forever getting ready, and by the time Chris got there, the sun was beginning to rise. The camera crew was due later in the afternoon, and the contestants weren't actually due until the next week, so Chris decided to head to his lodge and have a nap.

A few months earlier, Chris arranged for several structures to be built on the island. A massive lodging for himself, two large cabins for the contestants, a brand new confessional, and several small houses for the crew. Much to Chris' dismay, they were all built from wood. The buildings were strong, sure, and certainly looked nice, but Chris was worried that they could be destroyed if something... unusual happened.

"Whatever," Chris yawned, "I better turn in for a bit. Get some beauty sleep before everyone else arrives."

With that, Chris made his way to the lodge.

**~28 hours later~**

****It was 8 o'clock, and Chris was sitting on the beach, sipping his coffee and waiting patiently. Much to his amusement, the camera crew was scurrying about, trying to get everything just right for the arrival of the contestants.

"Relax," the host called out, "the competitors aren't due until next week. You don't need to rush."

"But... they're due today, sir," one of the men stated, "they should be arriving any minute, now!"

"Wait a second wait a second wait a second," Chris said, "Milton said they were due next Wednesday-"

"Milton said they were due THIS Wednesday- and he said that two days ago! He meant they were going to get here today!"

Chris blinked.

"Wait a second!" the host panicked "I haven't even set any traps yet! No explosives or pits or anything! I haven't even had time to import bears for- WHY IS THERE A BOAT HEADED TOWARDS US?"

"That'll be the contestants. The Veterans, at least, the Newbs are supposed to arrive fifteen minutes after them," the camera man gulped, beginning to press buttons, "uh, don't mean to pressure you, but you're on in three."

"Minutes?" Chris asked.

"Seconds," The cameraman said, grinning sheepishly, "sorry."

"I can promise you that you'll suffer dearly for this," Chris growled, "fine, just give me a second."

Chris took a deep breath, and turned away from the camera, facing the water.

"You're on," the cameraman whispered.

"Two years ago," Chris said silently, still staring away from the camera, "you witnessed one of the most historic battles to ever take place on basic cable. Twenty-one campers battled it out, facing not only each other, but every other obstacle thrown in their path. But in the end, it came down to two people- two people that would forever change the face of reality television. They battled it out, and one went home with a million dollars. And that, my friends, is where the story ended... Until now."

With that, Chris turned around, signature smirk on his face.

"Welcome," he announced, "the the fourth, and most exciting season yet of CAMP TV! Each year, we've prided ourselves on getting better and better, and this time around will be no exception! With contestants new and old battling it out for the grand prize, they'll face other competitors, vicious wildlife, dangerous challenges, and their worst enemy- themselves. Not only that, but they'll have to fight tooth and nail to survive after I introduce several brand new twists to the game! Get ready, because after a two-year hiatus, were bringing you the best season yet of Camp TV! Now, let's meet our contestants for this season!"

As the boat pulled up, Chris chuckled to himself.

Yeah, he still had it.

"Let's see who's first off... look's like former competitor DUNCAN!"

"Hey McLean," Duncan greeted, "long time no see."

"Duncan," Chris smirked, "how's it hanging? I'm sure after last season everyone's eager to see a little more of you... for the time being, at least. But for now, it's time to introduce our second contestant... Lindsay!"

The blonde stepped off the boat, smiling and waving at the cameras.

"Hey Craig!" she greeted, "It's soooo nice to be back!"

"We'll see about that," Chris chuckled, "tell me Lindsay, do you think you'll be able to do better than your last two tries?"

"What do you mean?" Lindsay asked, apparently genuinely confused.

"I mean you started out strong," Chris said, "you came in second place in our very first season. In our second, you were voted out first, and last time, your were out second. Do you think you'll be able to do any better?"

Much to Chris' annoyance, however, Lindsay was paying no attention, and instead fiddling with her hair.

"Whatever," Chris called, "NEXT!"

DJ stepped off the boat, a look of fear in his eyes.

"Uh, hey," DJ greeted, "nice to be back, I guess."

"Nice to have you back," Chris nodded, "especially since you never had another appearance after the first season. WE're all very eager to see what you can do with another chance."

"The next person Chris introduced was Courtney.

"Glad to have you back," Chris smiled, "of course, we'll see how long you can stay without Geoff or Owen to help you."

"Good to see you too, Chris," Courtney smiled, shaking her head.

"Alright!" Harold smiled, stepping off the boat, "another chance to-"

"Harold, for the love of- did I say it was your turn to be introduced?" Chris shouted.

"No, but-"

"That's right, I didn't!" Chris snapped, "Now go quietly stand somewhere while I think of how to properly punish you! Sigh... next up, Gwen! After your injury in the third season, you must be glad to have another chance at winning this season, right?"

"I guess," Gwen shrugged.

"Speaking of your injury last season," Chris smiled, "also returning is failed antagonist ALEJANDRO!"

Alejandro stepped off the boat, smiling.

"Yes, and my sincerest apologies about that, Gwen," he said, "I was... blinded by greed last time, and I fear I let my emotions get the better of me. I... don't suppose we can hope to start off on a clean slate this season?"

"Don't push it," Gwen snapped.

"Fair enough," Alejandro nodded, "I just ask that you try to be more open-minded than I was at my time of weakness."

"And weak you were," Chris snickered, "did you know, Alejandro, you are the only player to be classified as an antagonist and not make it to the top ten?"

"I am aware," Alejandro hissed, "but hopefully this season I will lose that classification."

"Yeah, whatever," Chris shrugged, "speaking of antagonists, let's have out the surprise heel, Bridgette!"

Bridgette appeared, a frown on her face and her hands in her pockets.

"Bridgette, you don't seem too happy to be here," Chris smirked.

"Look, let's just get this overwith," she sighed.

"I thought you'd have a new outlook after what happened last season," Chris smiled, "I expected maniacal laughter, or something. I am sorely disappointed. Next up, Tyler!"

"Hey Chris!" Tyler smiled, "Glad to be here! You guys better be ready, because this season I'll-"

"Nobody cares about you," Chris frowned, "but why don't we hear from our next contestant, LeShawna!"

"Hey y'all!" LeShawna greeted, "Glad to be back!"

"LeShawna," Chris said, "how do you think you'll do this season? Will you manage to come out ahead or slink back into obscurity?"

"I'm sure I'll do just fine," she smiled.

"Good," Chris said, "because next up, we have- another contestant nobody cares about, of course! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, NOAH! Sigh... next up, we have Ezekiel!"

Before Ezekiel could open his mouth, Chris cut him off.

"On to our next contestant," Chris said.

"But I didn't get to-" Ezekiel began.

"Nobody cares," Chris snapped, "but you know who people DO want to see? Or, PROBABLY want to see? I HOPE they want to see? EVA!"

Eva stormed off the boat, and took her place with the other contestants.

"Eva, pleasure to see you!" Chris grinned, "And I do mean that! You barely got anywhere in the first season, managing an early elimination and a lot of hate from the fans. But in our third season, you managed to beat sixteen other players and secure fifth place for yourself- not too shabby! Until, of course, Bridgette betrayed and humiliated you on TV. But other than that, I look forward to seeing how far you can take yourself this time!"

"Oh, I'll make it all the way this time," Eva scoffed, "just you wait. No one will stop me- certainly not Alejandro or Bridgette!"

"And that brings us to our final veteran competitor," Chris said, "and one of the few fan-favorites available to return this season, heeeeeeere's Coooooodyyyyy!"

Cody jumped off the boat, a smile on his face.

"Chris!" he greeted, "What's up, man?"

"Nice to have you back," Chris said, "at least, it should be good for the ratings. Cody, you managed to do so well the first two seasons, but you were eliminated THIRD last time- do you think you could make the finals again?"

"I hope so," Cody shrugged, "but I mean, it's been a while."

"That it has," Chris nodded, "and I can promise that things haven't gotten any easier! Now, the thirteen of you- Duncan, DJ, Cody, Alejandro, Harold, Ezekiel, Tyler, Bridgette, Courtney, Gwen, Lindsay, Eva, and LeShawna-will reunite once more to form a team and compete against the others. But there might be just enough friction left between you guys to make that task difficult."

"Wait," Duncan said, "OTHERS? You told me there would only be returning competitors this season!"

"And you believed me?" Chris mocked, "HA! No, the studio felt it might be necessary to add new competitors this season so as to shake things up a bit. Also, having new competitors will make it so new viewers have someone they can enjoy without having to watch the original seasons. Make sense?"

"Sure," Duncan shrugged, "I mean, I guess."

"Good," Chris said as another boat pulled up, "because it looks like the new contestants are here now! But before we introduce the new kids on the block, I'd like to take the time for some shameless advertisement!"

With that, Chris pulled out a can labelled "Blue Cow".

"Say, have you folks at home tried Blue Cow, the hot new energy drink?" Chris asked. The host smiled, took a sip, and spit most of it out.

"Yeah!" he coughed, "I mean, it may taste like gasoline, but you'll buy it anyway because we tell you to! Now then, where were we? Let's introduce our first new contestant- David!"

A tall boy with long, brown hair and light blue eyes approached the contestants. He wore a denim jacket, black sneakers, and a white t-shirt.

"Hey," he said, smiling faintly and giving the other contestants a quick wave, "I'm David. Nice to meet you guys, I guess."

"David," Chris smiled, "What do you think now that you're here? What do you make of your surroundings and the other competitors?"

"Well," David shrugged, taking a quick glance around, "it's a nice enough looking place, I guess. I think I'll still watch where I step, though."

"Clever boy," Chris smiled, "our second new contestant is Aria!"

A girl wearing a grey hoodie, jeans, and a blakc beanie slowly trudged off the boat.

"Uh... hi," she sighed, "sticking her hands in her pockets.

"Aria, nice to meet you," Chris said, "how you feeling today?"

Aria shrugged, and walked next to the other competitors without a word.

"Quiet type, I guess," Chris shrugged, "whatever, we still have plenty of competitors to get through, so I suppose it's for the best. Next up, why don't we have Lance?"

An african-american teen wearing a very fine red suit greeted teh competitors.

"Nice to finally meet you guys," he smiled, "name's Lance."

"Sorry, I didn't know this was formal dress," Duncan smiled.

"What, this?" Lance said, "Hey, like they always say, you get one chance at a first impression, right?"

"Right," Chris nodded, "I like your style, kid! But we don't have all day to talk about suits, so let's keep moving- how about we have Miri next?"

"Oh, uh, hi!" a red haired-girl with glasses and labcoat smiled, appearing at the tip of the boat, "It's nice to meet all of you, just let me- woah!"

Miri stumbled and fell onto the beach, and pulled herself to her feet.

"Whoops," she chuckled, dusting herself off, "sorry, I'm uh, a bit clumsy, I guess. My name's Miri, and I-"

"We'll get to know each other later," Chris snapped, "we have to keep moving!"

"Oh, sorry! Sorry!" Miri gulped, "I'll just, um, go over here!"

"Our next contestant is Johnny!"

A tall teen wearing a duster and cowboy hat made his way over to the contestants.

"Howdy," he said tipping his hat, "nice to meet you guys."

"Sorry, loser, there's no rodeo around here," Eva scoffed, "better head back to wherever it was you came from."

"Hold on now, take it easy," Johnny said, "we don't have any reason to fight each other-"

"Not YET, anyway," Chris smirked, "NEXT!"

Next was a girl with a blonde pixie cut. She was wearing a faded pink shirt, torn black pants, and sneakers. She also had a few ear piercings, and had an electric guitar slung over her shoulder.

"'ey!" she greeted with a very apparent English accent, "Name's Sunny- great to be 'ere."

After Sunny was another girl- she had straight brown hair, and wore a dark blue hoodie and jeans.

"Hi!" she smiled, "I'm Veronica!"

"Nice to see you," Chris said, "why don't you take your spot by the other contestants?"

Veronica nodded, and walked over to Sunny.

"Ooo!" she smiled, "That's a really nice guitar!"

"Thanks," Sunny smiled, "you play anything?"

"Um, well, I learned how to play the recorder in third grade," Veronica shrugged, "Oh, and I'm reeeeeally good at _Rock Band!_"

Sunny smiled and shook her head.

"Coming your way now is new contestant Lucky!"

Lucky stepped off the boat, a smirk on his face. He had short black hair and green eyes. He was wearing a white suit jacket over an untucked black collared shirt.

"Yo," Lucky nodded, surveying the landscape, "nice digs, Chris. Very Jeff Probst."

"Hey!" Chris snapped, "This isn't some rip-off of the show that shan't be named! This is quality TV, damnit!"

"Whatever you say, baby, whatever you say."

The next person to be introduced was a boy named Kyle. He was a slightly-overweight blonde who wore very simple clothes and a chef's hat. Overall, he seemed like a friendly person.

"Must be a stupid hat convention here, or something," Eva scoffed.

"Hey!" Kyle frowned, "This is my lucky hat!"

"I'll give him a week," Eva said, "maybe less."

The next competitor was a girl who went by the name Quinn. She wore a leather vest, purple undershirt, jeans and boots.

"Quinn, nice to see you got here in one piece," Chris said.

"Whatever," she scoffed, "I'm just here for the money."

"I like you," Chris nodded, " we only have a few competitors left though, so let's keep it moving- how about we hear from our next contestant, Ricardo?"

Ricardo stepped off the boat, a cocky looking youth wearing a Hawaiian t-shirt and black pants.

"Greetings!" he smirked, "Ricardo is very happy to be here- hopefully we shall have some good times, yes?"

"Depends on your definition of good times, I guess," Chris shrugged, "now, let's have our last female of the morning, TAMMY!"

A girl with dirty, matted blonde hair and a blue jacket scurried down to the beach.

"SHH!" she said, "Not so loud! THEY might hear you?"

"They?" Tyler frowned, "Like, us?"

"SHH!" she hissed, "Quiet, I need to listen!"

Everyone fell silent, and stared at Tammy nervously.

"...False alarm," she sighed, "I thought THEY were back. I guess not. I hope not..."

"Uhhhhh... okay," Chris gulped, "right. That... yeah, okay. Well, that just means we're down to our final competitor, Vevo!"

"Chris, please," a voice snickered, "like I really need an introduction."

Vevo stepped onto the beach, a smirk on his face. He was wearing a bright blue and pink jacket over a white t-shirt, blue jeans, large white sneakers, and black fingerless gloves on each hand. He also had very dark, black shades. He was also apparently listening to a music player, as he had one earphone in his right ear.

"I mean, come on," he continued, "everyone's going to know my name soon enough, why bother with the formalities now? After all, what would this season have been without yours truly?"

"Probably much more pleasant," Lucky shrugged.

Vevo glared at Lucky.

"Okay," Chris said, "now that you're all hear, I'd like to officially welcome you to season four of Camp TV! I never thought we'd make it this far, but whatever, may as well go with it. Now, before we begin, I'd like to explain the rules of the game. There have been several major changes from last time. For example, I have several treasure chests hidden around the island- I believe six in total. If you find one, you can turn it into me for a reward. I'll remind you what the rewards are when you turn one in, but I'll give you a quick list now: you can trade it for immunity, an advantage in the next challenge, food, several material prizes, and you can also call for a double elimination the next time there's a ceremony."

"Wait a second," Alejandro frowned, "those are all fine and good, I agree, but why put food on that list? It seems a minor reward compared to everything else."

"Not quite," Chris smiled, "because this season, you have to get your own food! That's right, you'll have to hunt birds, scavenge berries, go fishing, the works. At the beginning of every week I'll supply you with a small ration of food, but take my word for it when I say it won't last very long."

"That's ridiculous!" Eva snapped, "You can't do that!"

"Of course I can," Chris laughed, "you all signed contracts! Except for Courtney, who negotiated to be served a private breakfast every morning instead of risking starvation."

Everyone glared at Courtney.

"What?" she frowned, "When I read the contract, I thought the terms were unfair, so I negotiated a bit! Am I really the only one who reads those things?"

Everyone looked at the floor, embarrassed.

"It would appear the answer to that is yes," Chris nodded, "also, Aftermaths have been abolished this season in favor of recap episode near the finale, like in the first season. The final major change is that, a few challenges in, I will begin switching teams around as I see fit! That's right folks! Like your current veteran/newbie team division? Well, don't get used to it, because it isn't going to stay that way!"

"Great," Alejandro groaned, "truly, this keeps getting better and better."

"Now," Chris said, "before I explain today's challenge, allow me to introduce you to the new confessional system!"

Chris gestured to a blue camera on the beach.

"Now," the host said, "while I do have a confessional stall like in the old days, I added several blue confessional cameras for convenience sake. If you feel like leaving a confessional but aren't close to the booth, just find a blue camera and use that. Now, before we get started, I'm going to give you the chance to leave a confessional. Go ahead, say whatever you want. When you're all done, we'll get going."

**CONFESSIONAL: Alejandro**

_Great, here again. While it is true the others will be suspicious of my actions, I do believe I'll have an easier time without that trio of self-righteous idiots trying to get in my way. Of course, I have several problems I should take care of immediately and an alliance is definitely on my priority list, I may want to consider laying low for a while._

**CONFESSIONAL: Courtney**

_I guess it's good to have another chance at the money. I know I lost fair and square last time, but I was a little disappointed with how things turned out. Hopefully I'll have better luck this time. Oh, if you're watching this, I miss you, Geoff! _

**CONFESSIONAL: Harold**

_I'll admit my last two chances here didn't go exactly as planned, but I'm sure I can do better this time. I've been honing my skills- watch! (Harold pulls out staff, and begins twirling in the air as if to fight off invisible attackers. He then trips and falls over) *coughs* Gosh!_

**CONFESSIONAL: Lucky**

_Things aren't as bad as I thought they would be here. The island's nice enough, and at least I don't have to deal with that psycho-broad or the brainiac and his pals. I'd be lying if I said I didn't think a few of the guys here didn't look like bad news, but most of the people here seem on the up-and-up._

**CONFESSIONAL: Lance**

****_Yeah, I've got a good feeling about this. Long as I don't get mixed up in anything too shady, I should be fine. (Lance pulls out a bottle of pills, and quickly takes a few) Sorry. Anyway, like I said, I'm sure I'll be fine._

**CONFESSIONAL: Sunny**

_(strumming the notes to "Too Young To Fall In Love" by Motley Crue before speaking)You know, I've actually been wishing for an opportunity like this to come by for a while now. I mean sure, that Chris bloke is off his rocker, but this is a good chance to get famous and win money while doing it. I'm not saying fame is everything, but you try starting a band in a town with practically no venues to play or any real coverage. It's bloody maddening, sometimes!_

**END CONFESSIONALS**

"Well," Chris said, "now that we're done with that, it's time to get started. What will our first challenge hold? What friendships and rivalries will be formed? How will the old and new manage to coexist- or will they tear each other apart? Most importantly, who will be the first to go home? Find out next time on

CAMP TV:

SPECTER ISLANDS!"

(A/N: Well, that's it for this first chapter- not too eventful, I know, but I hope you enjoyed! There will be a lot more cast interactions and such next episode, I just wanted to introduce the characters this time around. Also, I'd like to apologize if you didn't see some of your favorite characters in there. I didn't include several people for varying reasons. In the case of Noah, Justin and Josh, for example, I felt like they ended the last season with all of the closure they deserved. I felt they had a good ending, and saw no reason to throw them into another season and keep adding on plots to them. Another prominent character I excluded was- of course- Izzy. This was because I wanted this season to be more serious, and I couldn't see that happening with her as a regular character. She WILL make an appearance or two later on, but not as a contestant. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed- I'll update soon!)


	2. Welcome to the Jungle Pt 2

"Oh come on," Eva groaned, "where IS he?"

Eva was, of course, referring to Chris. While the contestants had left confessionals, the host had excused himself, then disappeared into the wilds. No one was quite sure where he had gotten off to, and he had been absent for roughly half an hour.

"So, what?" Gwen asked, "Did Chris drag us back out here just to make us wait around all day?"

"Seems like it," Duncan said, smiling sadly, "definitely something he would do, for sure."

"It's good to be home," Gwen sighed.

~o.0.o~

Chris was running around his lodge, trying not to panic. A few crew members were standing outside of his room, waiting for their orders.

"Okay," Chris frowned, "not panicking, not panicking, not panicking- okay, I've got it! I want you guys to leave, and go back to the main land. You're going to call up headquarters, and have them do three things: import bears here for Cody, see if you can get in contact with Izzy and purchase some explosives, and FIND ME A NEW INTERN!"

"Yes sir," one of the men said, "right away, sir. Anything else we can get you?"

"No," Chris sighed, "I just need to make one phone call, then I'll be back to hosting my show."

"Right," the man said, "we'll be back by this evening, Mr. McLean."

"Good," Chris nodded, pulling his cell phone out, "good. Now get out of my sight!"

The crew rushed out, and Chris began dialing a number on his phone.

~o.0.o~

Somewhere in Ontario, Noah was hunched over a desk, studying for a college exam. His cell phone started to ring, and he immediatley answered, thinking it was Josh or Justin.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"NOAH!" Chris shouted, "THIS IS ALL OF YOUR GODDAMN FAULT! BECAUSE OF YOU I HAVE TO WORK AROUND ALL THESE SETBACKS AND-"

Noah sighed, and hung up the phone.

"Could have sworn I blocked that schmucks' number," he muttered before getting back to work.

~o.0.o~

It was another forty minutes before Chris actually returned to the contestants, and by then they were practically fuming.

"What took you so long?" Ricardo demanded, "If Ricardo wished to stand around in the sun doing nothing all summer, he would have stayed home."

"I'm inclined to agree, Chris," Alejandro frowned, "despite not being known for any grand acts of charity, I'd like to think you at least had a sense of punctuality."

"Hey, I have great timing!" Chris snapped, "In fact, that was... part of... the challenge! Yeah! That was psychological... tactic...stuff so that you would be more vulnerable towards today's challenge!"

"Is this guy serious?" Lucky asked.

"So... what IS the challenge?" Veronica asked.

"Glad you asked," Chris frowned, thinking fast, "because your challenge is... to... find your cabins, yeah! The first team to reach the cabins wins immunity from tonight's elimination, as well as a small party. And by party, I mean you get to sit around a fire and eat snacks."

"What, no gambling or music?" Lucky frowned, "I was expecting something with a little more-"

"Hey, you take what you get," Chris snapped, "now, I'm going to give each team a map of the island, and it's up to you to decipher it and figure out where the cabins are. Before we start, we also may as well pick team names- I'm not going to call one team the Veterans and the other the Newbies, especially since you're going to be switched up a bit. So, like last time, I'm going to let you pick your names. Although hopefully you'll do a better job of it this time around."

"What about the Ronin?" Harold asked, "Fearless and skilled samurai warrior without a master that-"

"That's not bad," Duncan shrugged.

"Yeah, alright," Cody agreed, "I don't see why not."

"Well, if they're going to go with the Ronin," Miri thought, "why don't we also go with a historical warrior, like a Roman Legionnaire?"

"Sure," David said, "the Legion it is, then."

"Okay," Chris said, "so we have the Ronin and the Legion! The teams are formed, and now you're going to compete for immunity, just like old times! So, get going, and start bringing in those ratings!"

The campers looked at each other, shrugged, and set off.

~o.0.o~

The Legion trekked through the forest, taking turns trying to decipher the map Chris had given them. It was less of a map and more of some crude drawings with some unintelligible words scribbled here and there, but they figured arguing with Chris wasn't the best course of action in their particular scenario.

"So," Lance mused, "here we are on some island in the middle of nowhere, walking through the wilderness with absolutely no sense of direction. This what you guys thought it would be?"

"Honestly?" Lucky asked, "I'm not quite sure what I thought it would be. I never actually watched this show back in it's heyday."

"Ugh, I remember when this stupid thing first came out," Sunny chuckled, "it was kind of a big deal in England for a while, especially in my town. One of those cozy little nowhere towns. I mean, I figure everyone got about twelve channels, and this was what was on at the time. I HATED hearing about it. Sort of got old after a while."

"Don't let Chris catch you saying that," Lance said.

"Yeah, that cat didn't strike me as being a particularly stand up guy," Lucky agreed, "you should have seen the way those other kids were looking at him. I pity him."

"McLean is a wreck," Aria said softly, "his eyes tell a sad story. He keeps trying to make sense of what he's found, but just gets more and more lost in the process."

Everyone turned and stared at Aria, who seemed not to notice.

"Right," Lucky said after a while, "thank you, for that."

The contestants continued walking in silence for a while, until they heard a rustling in the tress around them.

"Tell me I'm not the only one who heard that," David frowned.

The members of the Legion turned, and saw nearby trees rustling. A few seconds later, something resembling a mutated alligator with compound eyes and brightly colored scales crawled out.

"Uh, Ricardo does not wish to alarm anyone," Ricardo gulped, "BUT WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THAT?"

"That's odd," Miri frowned, getting closer, "it almost resembles an alligator, which would seem impossible in this environment, and the bright colors don't seem to serve muc hof a purpose-"

The creature open its mouth, exposing three rows of jagged teeth on its top and bottom jaws. It let out a low growl, and stepped toward the contestants.

The teens began to back away slowly.

"What, uh... what are we supposed to do?" Veronica asked.

"Nobody panic," Johnny said, "let's just stay calm, and try to get out of here without incident-"

At that moment, Ricardo let out a scream and took off running.

"Nice," Lance said.

The alligator monster was evidently not impressed by this display, as it began to march forward.

"Oh, great," Lucky groaned, "SPLIT!"

~o.0.o~

The Ronin made their way along the coast, catching up on old times. Cody and Harold, arguably the most intelligent players on their team (Aside from Alejandro, who wasn't yet trusted) were at the front of the group trying to get a hold on what the map said.

"So, what have you guys been up to all this time?" Courtney asked, "I mean, we haven't really kept in contact that much, have we?"

"Yeah, sorry, I've been busy," Gwen shrugged, "I moved in with my cousin a little after season three ended. I've been living with her trying find a good art school to go to."

"Hey, I'm actually going to school, too!" Cody smiled, "Well, the police academy, actually."

"What?" Eva laughed, "YOU? A cop?"

"Yeah?" Cody pouted, "So?"

"I think what Eva is trying to say," Alejandro smirked, "is that it is... difficult imagining you as an officer of the law. You being who you are, and all."

"Hey, shut up!" Cody snapped, "I- I want to help people, and there's nothing wrong with that!"

"No, there isn't," Gwen smiled, "you're doing a good thing, Cody."

"What about the rest of you?" Cody asked.

"I've been training with my LARPing group," Harold said, "in addition to my new job at a comic shop."

"I'm actually not all that different from you, Cody," Duncan shrugged, "I'm working with the police on a sort of... you know, Youth Outreach thing. Mostly volunteer, but we have to work to make the money come from somewhere."

**CONFESSIONAL: Duncan**

_Honestly, that's the only reason I'm here this season. When Chris called me half-drunk and offered me a position back here, I was ready to tell him to stuff it, but the fact is, we could really use the money. We've asked people to donate, but no one seems to care about helping others anymore. I donate what I can, but let's face it, I don't make very much money as it is._

**END CONFESSIONAL**

"I'm trying to get into show business," Eva frowned, "but no one wants to sign me on to anything- it's ridiculous! I'm the QUEEN of Reality TV! I mean, the only work I've gotten was shooting a few ads for a sock company. Hey Courtney, your boyfriend has his own reality show now, right? Any chance he needs help with that?"

"Fiance," Courtney corrected, "and, um, I'll ask, but I'm not sure if he needs any help, with Owen as his co-host and everything. I mean, he goes around throwing people parties, is that even something you would like?"

**CONFESSIONAL: Courtney**

_I'm not one for holding grudges, and if Eva wants me to ask Geoff, I will, but... she isn't the most agreeable person I've met._

**END CONFESSIONAL**

"What about you, Alejandro?"Harold asked, "I think I remember seeing you somewhere, actually, but I can't place it-."

"Oh, um," ALejandro muttered nervously, "the thing is, I was working in a rather... exclusive catering company. Interesting restaurant, very-high class."

"GOSH, I remember now!" Harold smiled, "Didn't you serve me a burger at Burget Shots once?"

The contestants reaction to this was varied. A few people gasped, and began whispering to one another, while a few others like Cody and Eva began snickering. Alejandro's face blushed a bright shade of scarlet, and he looked down at his feet.

**CONFESSIONAL: Alejandro**

_You don't know how DEMEANING these past few years have been! Yes, I worked at a FILTHY chain restaurant, alright? Stuck serving greasy pieces of burnt garbage to filthy peasants! I was a Buerromuerto- now I'm nothing! My own FAMILY has threatened to disown me if I don't pull my act together- and this pathetic excuse for programming was one of the last straws before they decided they had enough of me. That's why I'm here. I want to right all of my wrongs, and show my family I'm still SOMETHING. I wish Justin and Noah were here. I'm sure toppling them would show I was more competent than they think. But I'm not even given THAT opportunity. I NEED to win this season. I... I don't want to think about what will happen if I don't._

**END CONFESSIONAL**

"Hey, you know what?" Tyler asked, "DJ, why don't you talk about what you've been up to? You haven't spoken to any of us since the first season!"

DJ sighed.

"I haven't been doing anything special, I guess," he shrugged, "I mean, I work at an animal shelter now, but that's about it. I mean, I GUESS it's cool to be back here."

**CONFESSIONAL: DJ**

_To be honest, I had totally forgotten about this show, and I was happier that way. I mean, my first run on here wasn't all that great. I mean, I wasn't the bravest, and I did accidently dislocate Justin's arm, so I kind of wanted to put the whole thing behind me. But sometimes you just got to deal with things directly, I guess._

**END CONFESSIONAL**

~o.0.o~

While The Ronin were catching up, the Legion was cornered by the alligator. The beast took a snap at the contestants, who backed away as far as they could. Sunny, a mixture of frightened and angry, pulled out her guitar and began swinging it at the monster.

"Oi, get back- GET BACK!" she shouted.

The monster was not amused, and let out a single grunt.

"Sunny, I think you're just making it angry," Miri said.

"Well, what am I supposed to do?" Sunny asked, "Hit something 'til it goes away- it's always worked before!"

"We're gonna die here," Tammy panicked, "this was a set up- WE'RE GONNA DIE!"

"Nobody's going to die here!" Johnny exclaimed, "Let's just-"

Out of nowhere, an huge pterodactyl-like creature swooped down, grabbed the alligator, and flew off. The Legion was stunned into silence.

"Wha... what kind of place is this?" Veronica asked.

"One thing's for sure," Lance sighed, "we're not in Kansas anymore."

~o.0.o~

Ricardo was sitting in the shade, leaning against a tree.

"This is more like it," Ricardo smiled, "peace and quiet-"

"Ricardo."

Annoyed, Ricardo opened his eyes, but saw no one in the immediate area.

"Hmph," he snorted, "Ricardo must be hearing things. Must be the heat-"

"Ricardo."

Ricardo glanced around once more.

"If this is someone's idea of a joke," Ricardo frowned, "Ricardo is certainly not amused!"

As Ricardo looked around, he could have sworn he saw someone in the corner of his eye. Sure enough, when Ricardo looked again, he could make out a figure standing in the distance, waving at him.

"Chris?" Ricardo thought, "No, that cannot be-"

The figure hopped closer, and began beckoning Ricardo to follow after it. Ricardo cocked his head, suddenly enthralled. He got to his feet, and began to make his way down the-

"HEY!"

Ricardo blinked, and turned around to face his angry looking teammates.

"What the hell was THAT?" Quinn demanded, "Bail on us like that again, and those mutants will be the LAST thing you need to worry about!"

"Not cool, baby, not cool," Lucky frowned.

"Uh, let Ricardo explain," he chuckled, "Ricardo was off for help, you see, and thought that Chris might-"

"Chris nothing," Vevo snapped, "if this happens again, you're out of here."

"Uhhhhh... Ricardo understands," he nodded, "apologies, friends. Let's get going then, shall we?"

"Actually," Kyle frowned, "where ARE we going? Did anyone manage to work out what that map said?"

"Workin' on it, baby," Lucky sighed, "I mean, you could be yelling at me in German while waving a gun in my face and this would still make less sense."

"Have you tried turning it upside down?" Miri asked.

"Of course," Lance said, "like, eight times. The trouble is, we keep trying the same thing over and over and expecting something magic to happen, we need a new angle."

While many of the Legion argued over the map, Aria approached Ricardo. She gazed at him thoughtfully for a moment.

"Don't misunderstand, Ricardo has much experience with females gazing at him lustfully," Ricardo frowned, "but you are beginning to unnerve me."

"What did you see?" Aria asked.

"See? Well, I see the sea," Ricardo chuckled, "and some sand. A few tress, and some grass. Very heavy stuff, mind you."

Aria stared at him a moment longer, then shook her head and walked away.

Ricardo smirked, satisfied with his incredibly un-funny joke. Before he regrouped with the others, however, he looked down the beach one last time, to where the figure was standing. The figure was gone- although, oddly enough, there was a black patch of dirt left where they had been standing. Ricardo almost felt like investigating it, but a moment later, he was snapped out of his trance when Vevo yanked him forward.

"Come on," Vevo hissed, "we're leaving.

**CONFESSIONAL: Lucky**

_You know, I'm not feeling too hot about our chances right now. I like Sunny and Lance, they seem alright, but everyone else? Ricardo doesn't seem like he's going to be much use in challenges, Tammy keeps blabbing about her weird conspiracies, and something seems wrong with Vevo. Of course, I've been wrong before._

**END CONFESSIONAL**

The Ronin walked along the beach a little longer, and Harold suddenly stopped, staring at the map intently.

"Okay," he murmured, "I THINK we're almost there."

"Oh, thank gosh!" Lindsay smiled, "I'm starting to get sand in my shoes!"

"Girl, there's a CHALLENGE to win, if you hadn't noticed," LeShawna snapped, "we don't have time to worry about that!"

"But how am I supposed to win with-"

"Oh, SHUT UP!" Eva snapped, "We're going to lose to a bunch of wannabees if this keeps up, and what then?"

"Well," Chris said, "you could always blame Noah, like I do."

The contestants stopped arguing, and saw that they had actually reached the cabins.

'GOSH!" Harold exclaimed, "We MADE it!"

"Yes, yes you did," Chris said, "not sure how, though."

"What are you talking about?" Harold asked, "I followed the map exactly-"

"What, THAT old thing?" Chris snickered, "Oh, that wasn't an actual map. Just some doodles I threw together last minute."

"Wait," Courtney gasped, "you mean you were willing to let us wander around lost thinking we had a real map, with the possibility or become lost or seriously injured?"

"Duh," Chris said, "what do you think the Legion is doing now? It was a one-in-a-million chance that you managed to make it here."

"So wait," Duncan frowned, "you're just letting the others wander around in the wilderness? That's cold."

"Yeah," Chris agreed, "but I needed to get back into the swing of things. Speaking of which, last I saw they were going to wander into raptor territory- anyone want to take bets as to who get's maimed first?"

"C'mon, Chris," Cody said, "cut them a break!"

"I don't know," Eva snickered, "I think it's kinda funny!"

"Fine, fine," Chris snapped, "if you guys are going to be like that, I'll have... SOMEONE go help them. You guys are getting soft on me! Anyway, since you're all safe from elimination, you have the rest of the day off to celebrate, and commemorate your victory together."

The Ronin cheered, and began making their way towards the cabins.

**CONFESSIONAL: Alejandro**

_As I said before, I've been thinking, and I think the key to winning this season is a good alliance. If I can get a group of people at my back, I should last longer. I'm not talking about manipulating or charming anyone, either, I mean an equal and willing partnership. For now._

**END CONFESSIONAL**

While most of the Ronin were preoccupied, Alejandro took Bridgette and Eva aside.

"Listen, ladies," he said, "I know after everything that happened the last season what I'm about to propose might seem outlandish, but I ask that you keep and open mind. It has been, after all, two years, and hopefully we've moved past and petty grudges we may have been holding."

"What do you want, Al?" Bridgette asked.

"An alliance," Alejandro sighed.

Eva and Bridgette both began to say something, but he motioned for them to be quiet.

"Look," Alejandro continued, "we all need to work together. We're the least popular contestants here, when elimination time comes around, we'll be lucky if we don't all get the boot within the next few weeks. None of us left a particularly good impression, and for that we have only ourselves- and maybe Noah or Justin- to blame. Now, what do you think?"

Surprisingly, Eva answered almost immediately.

"I'm in," she said, "oh, don't look so surprised. I mean, I'm not stupid. What you said is true- we're not well-liked around here. I get people like Duncan and Courtney are trying to act like holier-than-thou White Knights and be open-minded, but who knows how long that'll last? I'm in. Because I, like you guys, really happen to enjoy winning."

"Thank you for seeing reason, Eva," Alejandro smiled, "and what of you, Bridgette?"

"I don't know," she sighed, shaking her head, "I... I need to think about it. I didn't come back here to make the same mistakes."

"Mistakes?" Eva mused, "I'm sorry, I seem to recall you almost being PROUD of what you did."

"Look, if I was given the chance, I wouldn't do it over," Bridgette snapped, "and I don't regret what I did... but I do kind of regret the price everyone else paid. I'm older now, and looking back on it I don't think it was my finest moment. And besides, how do I know I can trust you guys?"

Eva looked like she was about to scream at Bridgette, but Alejandro stopped her.

"Just... think it over," he proposed, "we don't need an answer now. But we may need one the next elimination cermeony."

"Yeah," Bridgette nodded, "yeah, whatever."

As it would turn out, Alejandro wasn't the only one trying to reform an alliance.

"Come on," Ezekiel pleaded, "it'll be just like the old days!"

"No," Duncan snapped, "I've said that like eight times now, and I've meant it each one. I'm not doing stuff like that anymore."

"Oh, come on!" Ezekiel said, "But it got you far-"

"No," Duncan said sadly, "in the end... I think it held me back. I'm not that kind of person anymore."

"Look," Ezekiel insisted, "if we got together- maybe had a few other people like Harold or DJ help us- we could be an unstoppable force!"

"No," Duncan said, "in case you haven't noticed, the 'unstoppable forces' on this show always come in threes."

"Then we'll have a group of three!"

"Ezekiel, I was joking," Duncan snapped, "I'm done having this conversation with you. I'm not saying we can't be friends or anything, but I don't want anything to do with any alliances this time around."

With that, Duncan marched off.

"Fine," Ezekiel mumbled, "I'LL START MY OWN ALLIANCE! JUST YOU WAIT!"

~o.0.o~

An hour later, and the Legion was still completely lost.

"Holy crap," Lucky said, "I figured out what we've been doing wrong this entire time!"

"Really?" Veronica smiled, "You know how to read the map?"

"No," Lucky scoffed, "this isn't a goddamn map- it's a bunch of scribbles on an old receipt!"

"What?" Lance asked, "Lemme see that real quick."

Lance grabbed the "map" examined it, then let out a groan and threw it on the ground.

"He's right," Lance said miserably, "that was never a damn map in the first place! We've been spending hours trying to read something that was never really written!"

"Fantastic," Sunny smiled, "that Chris is certainly a classy fellow."

"Well... what do we do?" Veronica asked.

"What's TO do?" Lucky scoffed, sitting on the ground, "those Ronin are probably back at camp now, laughing at us. Shit. SHIT!"

The contestants were quiet for a moment, and then Sunny began to play "_Always Look On The Bright Side of Life", by Monty Python__._

__"Hold on a second," Kyle frowned, "you guys see that?"

Kyle pointed to a group of trees. The outline of a person could be seen struggling to make his way through.

"Who's that?" Kyle asked, "One of the Ronin?"

When the figure was revealed, however, it turned out to be one of Chris' crew.

"I was sent to get you guys," he explained, "the other team already made it to the camp, and Chris said to fetch you guys for the elimination ceremony."

The contestants looked at each other, and then back at the man.

"Come on," he said, "might as well get it over with. Good motto when dealing with Chris."

~o.0.o~

After two hours, all of the contestants were gathered at the cabins.

"Okay," Chris said, "I'm going to keep this sweet and simple. The Ronin won today's challenge, and therefore have immunity and tonight's reward, yadda yadda yadda. Since the Legion lost, you guys will meet in two hours to send someone home."

"Ricardo doesn't suppose you can be persuaded to do a recount?"

"Recount of WHAT?" Chris asked, "No one was counting anything!"

"So there should be no reason not to do one then!" Ricardo smiled.

Chris pinched the bridge of his nose, and let out a sigh.

"Get out of my sight," Chris snapped, "you have two hours, then someone will come and collect you and show you where the ceremony is being held."

"Ah yes," Ricardo sighed, "well, I tried."

~o.0.o~

Lucky and Lance were in the boy's cabin, discussing who to vote home that night.

"I really have no idea," Lance shrugged, "I feel a little bad about this, to tell you the truth."

"I know what you mean," Lucky agreed, "it's an interesting method of group bonding. You know, have a bunch of people single on man out and throw him under the bus."

Duncan, who had just entered the boys cabin, greeted the two.

"Hey," Duncan said, "don't think we've met yet. Name's Duncan."

"Lucky."

"Name's Lance."

"Right," Duncan nodded, "yeah, I remember. Sorry, I'm usually good with names, but today's been pretty hectic and all. Anyway, don't take losing too seriously. Chris'll do his best to belittle you guys tonight on national TV, but- odd as it may sound- don't feel too bad about it. It happens to everyone here."

"Uh, thanks," Lucky said, raising an eyebrow.

"I gotta get back to the bonfire our team is having," Duncan said, "I guess I'll see you later."

With that, Duncan turned and left.

"Huh," Lucky frowned, "either he was making fun of us, or he's showing class I didn't think I'd see here."

"Man, you should stop being so pessimistic," Lance said, "loosen up a bit."

"It's gotten me this far," Lucky shrugged, "besides, a pessimist-"

"-is what an optimist calls a realist, yeah," Lance finished, a smile on his face, "I've hear- oh, shit! We're gonna be late for the elimination!"

Lance leapt to his feet.

"C'mon," he said, "we gotta get going- just give me a minute, and I'll catch up."

Lucky nodded, then walked out of the cabin.

Lance reached into his coat pocket, pulled out a bottle of pills, and took two.

"Phew," he said, "alright, let's do this."

~o.0.o~

The Legion sat around a make-shift stage constructed on the beach, with Chris standing behind a large podium. On top of the podium was a large plate filled with marshmallows.

"You know," Chris smirked, "I'm not surprised you guys were eliminated first. I mean, look at you- you're the sorriest team I've ever laid eyes on! And that's including Team Codykinz! But I guess you are new, so I'll go easy on. Instead of verbally berating you for an hour or so, I'll skip straight to the elimination. So, much like the first season, if I call your name, you get a marshmallow, and you're safe. So, Marshmallows tonight go to:

Johnny.

Sunny.

Veronica.

Aria.

Lucky.

Vevo.

Miri.

Lance.

David.

Quinn, and...

Kyle.

Ricardo and Tammy, that leaves you two on the chopping block. And the final marshmallow of the night goes to...

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

..

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"RICARDO!"

Ricardo caught his marshmallow, and smiled in triumph.

"What?" Tammy gasped, "How could you guys eliminate ME? Unless... you're working for THEM?"

"That. That is why we eliminated you," Vevo snapped.

"Besides," Lance shrugged, "despite bailing on us today, Ricardo WAS able to sneak away quickly and quietly. That's means he at least has SOME skills."

"Fine," Tammy hissed, "it's better I wasn't here, anyway- not with the things that went on here when-"

"Okay, that's enough!" Chris snapped, "Get out of here, already!"

Chris shoved Tammy towards a boat that had been waiting nearby to take her away.

"Well, there you have it," Chris smirked, "our first elimination of the season! But things aren't even BEGINNING to heat up- we're still in our introductory stages, people! Stay tuned for drama, action, romance, and of course: ME! TUne in next time for an all-new episode of

CAMP TV:

SPECTER ISLANDS!"


	3. How to Win Friends and Influence People

It was the morning after the elimination ceremony, and the contestants were rudely awakened by the sound of an airhorn going off outside of their cabins.

"What in the hell is that?" Sunny exclaimed, frantically getting out of bed.

"That'd be Chris," Gwen sighed.

"Does he do this on a daily basis?" Miri asked, rubbing her arm. The girl had been so startled by the blast she had literally fallen out of bed, and was now laying on the ground.

"Pretty much," Gwen nodded, "you'll get used to it. I recommend you sleep early the night before challenges. It helps. Sometimes."

"I'll, uh, keep that in mind," Miri muttered.

"Don't bother," Eva said, examining her nails, "you won't be around long enough for it to make a difference."

"Eva, be nice," Courtney said, "they're new here, we don't need to make things harder on them."

"Of course we don't," Eva agreed, "Chris will do that for us. Doesn't make it any less fun, though."

The campers all got dressed, and exited the cabins. Chris was waiting outside, a smug look on his face.

"Well campers," Chris said, "as promised, I'm here to drop off this week's rations of food. Try not to waste it all in one day."

"Finally," Harold smiled, "I've been starving all morning, gosh!"

Chris then dropped two boxes of Lucky Charms in the sand in front of him.

"Enjoy," he snickered, "and remember, that's only part of a complete and balanced breakfast!"

"You've GOT to be kidding me," Lance frowned.

"HEYYYYY!" Cody exclaimed, "There aren't even any marshmallows!"

"Of course not," Chris smiled, "after all, I need my competitors in top physical condition!"

"Good to know you care," Eva muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Of course," Chris smirked, "well, even though we usually have a day or two break in between challenges, I figured we could have another today. We're going to be focusing on team-building and getting to know each other."

"Oh, goodie," Sunny smirked, "maybe we can all sit in a circle, hold hands, and talk about our feelings."

"Oh my gosh, that would be SO FUN!" Lindsay agreed, "And then we can't do each other's nails, and- no offence, but you could probably use a make-over- and we could all go shopping!"

"Yeah, something tells me we aren't going to be doing any shopping," Cody said.

"Okay, enough," Chris snapped, "I don't want to listen to any more of your pointless banter! As I said, we DO have a challenge today. However, it won't be right now. It's quarter past seven, I'm going to give you until noon to get ready. During this time, you can hunt for food, strategize with teammates, or just hang out. I could really not care less."

"Good," Ricardo muttered, "because Ricardo needs his beauty sleep."

"Like I said, be ready at noon," Chris called, beginning to walk away, "I'll be back here then."

As the contestants began to go their own ways, Alejandro waved his team over.

"Listen," he told them, "I was thinking. We won last time, yes? And that was based off of nothing more than luck. To be successful, we're going to need a unified team. To have a unified team, we're going to need some form of leadership."

"And I suppose you would nominate yourself?" Eva asked.

"Of course not," Alejandro said, "how could I hope to be an effective leader if none of you trust me?"

"Actually, he's got a point," Cody shrugged, "having a team leader would PROBABLY help. But who would it be?"

"What about you?" Courtney suggested, "I mean, you probably have the most experience out of everyone here, except maybe Gwen or Duncan."

"What?" Cody asked, alarmed, "Me? Lead? No! No no no no!"

"Maybe we should decide on this later," Courtney suggested, "there's a lot to do."

"Like getting food," LeShawna shrugged.

"Fair enough," Alejandro nodded, "another time. Just keep it in mind."

Meanwhile, the Legion was also having a team discussion.

"Look," Lance said, "like Chris said, we're going to need to find a way to get some food. Best way I can figure to do that is to split into groups and search that way."

"So why don't we go with groups of three, and alternate every couple of days?" Lucky shrugged.

"That's a good idea," Johnny agreed, "if I may, we should probably pick groups with people who have different strengths. I'm a decent hunter, but not everyone can say the same, so you might want to stick me with someone whose good at fishing or gathering berries."

"Right," Lance smiled, "yeah, yeah! That'll work just fine. Just fine. So, who here had experience with that sort of thing?"

No one said anything.

"Well," Miri said, "um, I can science."

"Sorry baby," Lucky shrugged, "maybe I could find some berries or something, but I didn't exactly have much opportunity to learn how to track and kill things in the city."

"Alright," Johnny shrugged, "ain't that big a deal. I guess maybe I could teach you guys a few things."

"Okay," Lance agreed, "that sounds good. So, how about this: our first group'll be Johnny, Lucky, Sunny, and myself. Then we can have Veronica, David, Quinn and Miri- and that'll leave Vevo, Kyle, Ricardo and Aria as the fianl group. Sound good?"

The other contestants voiced their approval.

"Right," Lance said, "so then if there's nothing else to talk about, we might as well start looking for something to eat. If that's alright with you three?"

"Course," Johhny said, "let's get moving."

The four set off, leaving their eight teammates behind them.

"Well, I'm going to bed," Ricardo yawned, "see you in a few hours."

When Ricardo entered the boy's cabin, he was annoyed to find Vevo lying back in his bed, listening to the song "Dance Hall Days".

"Uh, excuse-" Ricardo began.

"Shut up," Vevo said, holding up a hand, "this is my favorite part."

Vevo smiled as the chorus of the song came to a close, and then turned off his music player.

"Now," Vevo smirked, "your name was Ricardo, right?"

"Yes," Ricardo nodded, "look, Ricardo really wants to-"

"I suggest you shut the hell up and listen to me," Vevo snapped, "you don't have very many friends right now, and I'm offering to be one."

"Ricardo did not ask-"

"No, you didn't ask," Vevo hissed, "but I'm pretty sure I told you to be quiet."

Vevo rose to his feet and glared at Ricardo.

"You need to learn when to shut up," Vevo said, "a lesson I'd recommend getting down very quickly."

Ricardo scowled, but said nothing.

"Good," Vevo smiled, "that wasn't so hard, was it? Now, as I was saying before you rudely interrupted me, I want to propose a partnership. You can speak now."

"Thanks, but why would Ricardo want anything to do with you?" Ricardo scoffed, "Last Ricardo checked, you don't have many friends right now either. No one does."

"That's because I don't need many friends," Vevo shrugged, "just you. If you team up with me, we can take these other kids by storm."

"Oh? Just the two of us?" Ricardo snickered, "How do you propose we do that? Two votes aren't the deciding factor-"

"I don't need votes," Vevo snapped, "listen to me. I have a plan that- although it may take a bit to pull off- if we do it correctly we'll be left in direct control of the game."

"And what IS this master plan?"

"I'm still working on the kinks," Vevo explained, "but I just need one good man working for me. Unfortunately I don't have any good men, so I'll settle for you. We're not going to be manipulating others, or forming alliances. That just leaves a trail of lies and loose ends- it's a lot to keep track of. Now, my plan works, we're set up. The trouble is, everyone's going to know it was us once it happens. Like I said, we do it right, it won't make a difference."

"This is beginning to sound dangerous," Ricardo said.

"Not as dangerous as being a loose end," Vevo shrugged, "which is what you'll be if you walk out of that door without agreeing to my terms. Which way is the wind gonna blow?"

Ricardo thought a moment.

"Fine," he said after a while, "Ricardo is in."

"Good choice," Vevo smiled, "now, listen, you're going to have to wait a bit while I get some more details about the island. Give it a few days, week at most. Then I'll have this sorted out and we can take over this whole goddamn island. And I'm talking total submission, everyone at our mercy."

Vevo smirked, then turned on his music player again, which was now playing "Obsession".

"Now," Vevo sighed, "get the hell out of my cabin."

~o.0.o~

Further down the beach, Alejandro and Eva were talking.

"So," Eva said, "it doesn't look like Bridgette is in on this whole alliance thing right now. What's the plan?"

"Right now?" Alejandro asked, "Right now we watch each others backs and keep a low profile."

"Are you serious?" Eva scoffed, "We sit around waiting-"

"We have no choice," Alejandro sighed, "we haven't a plan, and we haven't a good alliance. Listen to me, you can't act too quickly. That's what made you lose last season."

"I still got a hell of a lot farther than you did," Eva scoffed.

"And you could have made it farther," Alejandro hissed, "if you had played your cards right. You made a few key moves that led to your downfall- trusting Bridgette and enraging nearly every other competitor on the show. You probably could have WON if you used more discretion."

"Oh, whatever," Eva said, "because YOU were just the soul of discretion."

"I made mistakes, sure," Alejandro agreed, "none of which I'm going to repeat this season. Mark my words. We just need to play our cards right. Good things come to those who wait."

"If I wanted to hear something like that," Eva muttered, "I would have a consulted a damn fortune cookie."

~o.0.o~

Lucky, Sunny and Lance were walking through the wilds, following Johnny. The latter had picked up the trail of a large animal, what he figured to be some kind of deer.

"The trail is getting cold," Johnny frowned, "these prints were left here days ago."

"So why are we following them?" Lance asked, genuinely curious. He himself had never been hunting, and he figured Johnny wouldn't be following a bad trail for no reason.

"Even a deer has to eat," Johnny shrugged, "we might not find any animals today, but if we follow the prints long enough, we might find a feeding source. You know, berries or something."

"Damn, you're pretty good at this," Lance smiled.

"I should hope so," Johnny shrugged, "I've been at this a while."

The four continued walking through the forest, Johnny still intently following the trail.

"You know," Lance said, "I still can't get over the fact that all Chris gave to us was a box of cereal. I mean, he could have at least given us some milk too."

~o.0.o~

A few hours later, and the four managed to return back to camp with several arm-fulls of berries.

"Sorry guys," Lance shrugged, "this is all we were able to find for now."

"I'm gonna go back out later," Johnny said, "see if I can find anything else worth bringing back, but it's almost noontime now."

"Don't worry about it," David smiled, "we have enough for today, at least."

Vevo watched from the cabin, a devious look in his eye.

**CONFESSIONAL: Vevo**

_So, here's the thing. My plan is- or, rather, it will be- flawless. But the idea of having hunting parties really benefits me. That'll give me the chance to search for one of Chris' chests out in the wild. Not that I think I'll need it, but its always good to have a plan B. Having personal immunity will give me time to regroup and think in case my plan should go wrong. Though, as I've said, this is very unlikely. First I just need to find out where the best sources of food are- that's why I want Ricardo to be working with me. That way we can both nose around without drawing too much attention to ourselves. One that's done, well, you'll just have to see, won't you? I hope Alejandro, Eva, and Bridgette are ready to move over. This plan is going to blow them out of the water._

**END CONFESSIONAL**

About an hour later, Chris arrived back at the cabins, and had the campers gather around.

"Okay," Chris announced, "like I said, today's challenge is going to involve team building. And what better way to accomplish team-building than by ACTUALLY building something, and then blowing it up?"

"I can think of lot's of ways," DJ said.

"Well, there's a reason I'm the host and you're not," Chris snapped, "now, follow me, and I'll explain what's going to happen."

Chris led the contestants down the beach, where they eventually came to a an area where there were two large piles of stacked wood, a crate full of nails and hammers, two dummies, and a few cannons.

"Uh," DJ frowned, "what are the cannons for?"

"Will you let me explain?" Chris snapped, "Here's what's going to happen. You have six hours to build a fort which you will use to house one of the dummies, in addition to two cannons per each team. Your goal is to build the most stable fort possible- which, as I've said, you will use to protect your dummy. Once the six hours are up, you will try to destroy the other teams fort in an effort to 'kill' their dummy. It doesn't matter how banged up the fort itself gets. Your goal is to destroy the other teams dummy- the first team to do this will win immunity. I hope you can figure out by now what happens to the losers."

"Wait, firing cannons at each other doesn't sound all that safe," Kyle frowned, "what happens if one of us gets hurt?"

"I don't know, figure it out," Chris snapped, "I mean, one of you must know first aid, right?"

"No- isn't there an infirmary or something on the island?" DJ asked.

"Nope," Chris shrugged, "couldn't fit it in the budget. Now, are you just gonna stand around all day, or are we going to start the challenge?"

The contestants all got into their teams, and each claimed a pile of lumber.

"Okay," Duncan said, "what kind of fort would be the best to build?"

"Bah, we don't need a fort," Eva scoffed, "just put up a wall and throw the dummy behind it. If we can blow up the other team first, it won't matter."

"No way," Tyler frowned, "the best offense is good defense!"

"What?" Eva snapped, "That doesn't make any sense! My plan is better: just blow stuff up until Chris says we win."

"Okay Izzy, calm down," Duncan sighed, "look, we need to work together on this. We should just sit down and discuss-"

"There's nothing TO discuss," Eva insisted, "my plan will work."

"I agree," Ezekiel nodded, "blowing stuff up sounds good about now."

"Don't be foolish," Alejandro put in, "there's more to this challenge than just mindless destruction."

While the Ronin argued about strategy, the Legion had already begun construction. Miri, although not helping to build the fort, was advising David, Lucky and Lance as to where to place the cannons.

"If you put one on that rock, and the other... yeah, between those two trees over there," Miri instructed, "we should be able to do a good amount of damage no matter where the put their fort up."

"You sure?" Lance asked.

"Yeah," Miri nodded, "I calculated the trajectory, velocity and some other technical stuff, we launch it from those two points and we'll do maximum damage, unless they build outside of the target radius."

"And IF they build outside of the target radius?" Lucky asked, "What are we going to do then?"

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that," Miri smiled, "if they were to build outside of our range, it would take them roughly six and a half hours to do it properly. Considering that's more time than we were allotted, I wouldn't worry about it."

"Wow," David said, "that's impressive."

"Thanks," Miri smiled, "it's nothing, really. Just some basic physics. We should probably help the others build the fort itself though."

~o.0.o~

Chris was in his lodge, relaxing. He had on a copy of his favorite movie, Memento. If you were to ask Chris why he liked the movie so much, he would spout lines about how artistic the movie was in an effort to appear more intelligent. But the truth of the matter was, his favorite part of the entire movie was one of the lines at the very end:

_"We all need mirrors to remind ourselves who we are."_

Chris wasn't sure why, but every time he heard this line he felt strangely melancholic. He would usually pause after hearing it, and just think for a while. Not necessarily about anything important- he'd just stop and reflect. Then, after a few minutes, he'd shake it off, and go back to whatever it was he had planned for the day.

However, when Chris began to get absorbed into the movie, the power in his lodge went out.

"Oh, COME ON!" he snapped, "What the hell, guys?"

Chris picked up the radio he kept on his nightstand.

"Hello?" he asked, "Hi, this is your boss. Does someone want to tell me why there isn't any power in my cabin?"

The only response was static.

"This better not be a joke," Chris warned, "I'm really not in the mood for this."

Nothing.

"LISTEN UP, YOU PRIMITIVE SCREWHEADS!" Chris shouted, "SOMEONE BETTER PICK UP THE RADIO, RIGHT NOW!"

Chris wasn't sure, but he thought he heard someone sob. Then, the static became louder- or, at least, it seemed to. Almost like it was mocking him. Chris let out a grunt, then through the radio across the room.

"FINE!" he shouted, "Then I'll take care of it MYSELF!"

A few minutes later, and Chris was outside, examining his cabin's electrical hook-up.

"That's weird," he muttered, "everything SEEMS fine. Wait, hold the phone."

Chris noticed that two wires had been unplugged. Without a thought, he hooked them in to their proper places, and glanced through the window- the lights had indeed gone back on.

"Finally," he sighed, "I'm going to have to have a stern talking to with a few of my good-for-nothing workers."

~o.0.o~

Miles below the island's surface, an abandoned lab was left in a state of dissary. Papers were scattered everywhere, tables overturned, computer screens left blank or smashed in. Then, for the first time in years, the overhead lights began to flicker on, one by one. More significant was a large computer screen that took up the entire back wall of the room. This, too, powered on after a few long minutes.

"Systems online," the computer stated, "welcome back, Mr. McLean."

~o.0.o~

Instead of going immediately back into his lodge, Chris had decided to visit his workers. He had figured he would let them know immediately they had been laid off. The penalties for ignoring Chris were always severe, but when he actually had to get up and do something himself? That was no crime more heinous in Chris' mind.

"Okay,' he said, entering the worker's shack, "I want to know who-"

Chris was startled to find everyone was gone. He glanced around the room and saw a strange sight- there was a bowl of soup that had been finished heating up in the microwave, a stereo was actively playing, and cards were set out across the table. It was almost as if everyone had simultaneously gotten up and left. Chris found the scene eerie, but Chris shook his head.

"They were probably too afraid to face their punishment," he thought, "wussies."

Chris checked his watch.

"Well, better see how the campers are doing," he shrugged.

~o.0.o~

As the Legion finished putting their fort together, the Ronin were still scrambling to get theirs together. They had spent too long arguing over what to do, and it had cost them.

"Okay, listen," Duncan said, checking his watch, "we need to hurry up, Chris is going to be here any minute! Try to get the dummy into a position they'll have difficulty hitting, and get those cannons up!"

Everyone scrambled to get things in place, LeShawna and Tyler wheeling one of the cannons into place. Then, perhaps the worst case scenario happened: Tyler and LeShawna lost control of the cannon, and it rolled down the beach and into the sea.

Everyone watched the cannon slowly sink beneath the waves, and then turned to glare at Tyler and LeShawna.

"Well, nice going, guys!" Eva shouted, "LOOK WHAT YOU DID!"

"Sorry!" Tyler exclaimed, "I don't know what happened!"

"You SUCK, is what happened!" Eva shouted.

The Legion watched this from their fort, amused.

"Nice," Ricardo smiled, "Ricardo thinks we have this challenge in the bag."

"Our chances are lookin' pretty solid, baby, that's for sure," Lucky agreed.

Just then, Chris arrived, looking rather annoyed.

"Okay," he said, "listen, let's get to it, shall we? A bunch of my crew went missing and I just want to get this over with. So start blowing each other up!"

The contestants nodded, and got into position.

"Ready?" Chris asked, "GO!"

"Great, waht are we going to do?" Gwen groaned.

"Relax," Eva smirked, "I got this."

Eva loaded the remaining cannon the Ronin had, and aimed it at Lucky, who was setting up a cannon for his team. A smirk on her face, Eva fired.

Lucky looked up just in time to seee it coming, however, and leapt out of the way.

"You FINK!" he shouted, "Not cool, baby, not cool!"

"Lucky, you alright, man?" Lance asked.

"Fine," Lucky snapped, "but if I get my hands on that-"

"Calm down," Johnny told him, "we need to focus on the challenge."

"Besides," Sunny cheered, "you'll have time for petty revenge later."

Eva's own teammates weren't too pleased, either.

"NO!" Alejandro scolded, "That's not how we do things here! Bad Eva, VERY BAD!"

"What?" she asked, "I was just evening the-"

All of a sudden, two cannonballs rocketed past, and the top half of the Ronin's fort was blown away.

"Crap!" Cody groaned, "We have to do something!" Before they could react, however, the Legion launched another blast, destroying the Ronin's dummy.

"And it looks like the LEGION wins!" Chris announced, "Guys, feel free to celebrate your win- Ronin, you have two hours to mourn your loss before the ceremony."

"This," Alejandro sighed, "is why we need a team leader."

~o.0.o~

A half an hour later, and the contestants were all in their cabins.

"Uh, anyone want some stale Lucky Charms?" Courtney asked.

"Uh, no thanks," Gwen said, "not really hungry right now."

"Nervous?" Courtney asked.

"A bit, yeah," Gwen said, forcing a smile, "I mean, I don't think I'm in any real danger of elimination, but I forgot what it feels like to be on the chopping block."

"Don't worry," Courtney smiled, "I'm sure we'll both be here tomorrow."

"For the love of- WILL YOU TURN THAT DOWN?" Eva shouted.

Courtney and Gwen turned, and saw Eva had been yelling at Sunny. The latter was playing _"Looks That Kill"_ on her guitar, and Eva was apparently in no mood for music.

"Sorry, what was that?" Sunny smirked, "Can't hear you over the music!"

"You're giving me a headache!" Eva declared.

""So take an advil," Sunny shrugged.

"Can we please not fight?" Veronica frowned, "Come on, guys."

"Fine, fine," Sunny sighed, "I'm getting bored in here, anyways."

As Sunny got up and left the cabins, Lindsay turned to Eva.

"Why are you always so mean?" the blonde asked.

"_Why are you always so mean_?" Eva mocked, "Why are you always so STUPID? We've got an elimination coming up, if you hadn't noticed!"

"What's an elimination?" Lindsay asked.

"Is... she serious?" Miri asked.

"Yeah," Gwen sighed.

"Um, I'm not a medical doctor or anything," Miri frowned, "buuut you should maybe... you know... get that checked out."

"So... are things... normally like this around here?" Veronica asked.

"No," Gwen shrugged, "they get worse. Just be glad you didn't have to deal with Izzy or Heather this season."

~o.0.o~

It was elimination time, and Chris was giving the Ronin an incredibly smug look.

"You guys blew it," he said, "what else is there to say? You lost to a bunch of whiny usurpers all because you couldn't get along for a few damn minutes. Should I send you guys to group therapy? Anyway, you guys know the drill by now, but I'll go over it again for Lindsay's sake."

"HEY!"

"If I call your name and throw you a marshmallow, you're safe. The one person who does not recieve a marshmallow will be eliminated, and not allowed to return, ever again. So, first marshmallows go to, because I'm such a nice guy, Gwen and Courtney. Also recieving marshmallows tonight are:

Duncan.

Cody.

Lindsay.

Tyler.

Bridgette.

Harold.

DJ.

Ezekie, and...

Alejandro.

Eva and LeShawna, it's down to you two. The last marshmallow of the night goes to...

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"...EVA!"

"WHAT?" LeShawna demanded.

**CONFESSIONAL: Alejandro**

_I managed to convince everyone before the ceremony that, if kept under control, Eva would be a valuable asset. So while she's safe for now, she is going to be monitered heavily._

_Yeah, I still got it._

**END CONFESSIONAL**

"Well, there you have it folks," Chris announced, "will the LEgion manage another win, or will the ROnin get their act together? Who will go home next? Find out on an all new episode of

CAMP TV:

SPECTER ISLANDS!"


	4. Days to Come

It was three days after the challenge, and the contestants were relaxing around camp, save for Johnny, who was out hunting. Most of the boys were hanging out in their cabin, playing a few hands of poker. Currently in the game was Duncan, Alejandro, Cody, Harold, Lucky and Lance.

After everyone was dealt their hand, Alejandro turned to Lucky.

"So," he began, "you aren't taking that... incident with Eva the other night too seriously, are you? She's known to jump the gun now and then, but we're working on keeping her under control."

"Course not," Lucky smiled, "I never hold a grudge, baby. Life's too short and all that. Raise."

"That is nice to hear," Alejandro smiled, "not everyone holds that sentiment."

"What can I say, I'm a saint," Lucky shrugged.

"Speaking of which," Alejandro said, getting to his feet, "I apologize gentlemen, but there is something I must attend to. Perhaps we shall pick this game up another time?"

"Yeah, sure," Duncan shrugged, "later, Al."

After Alejandro left the cabin, Lance asked, "You really mean that, Lucky?"

"Hell no," Lucky smirked, "you know, what the first major lesson I learned in life was? If someone shoves you, shove back. If someone hits you, hit back. If someone shoots a cannon at you, you burn their damn house down. Now, arson might be going a tad bit too far in this case, but you get the general idea."

"I disagree," Harold frowned, "a wise scholar once said that an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."

"You know, you're right," Lucky nodded, "we should just let the psychopaths of the world run around unpunished. That's a nice sounding ideal, but you need to know when to bring the hammer down on someone."

"He's got a point," Lance shrugged, "doesn't do anyone any good to let someone like Eva walk all over you and not do anything about it."

"Could you keep it down over there?" Ricardo snapped, "Ricardo is trying to get some beauty sleep."

"What are you, a Disney princess?" Lucky asked, "That's all you ever want to-"

The boy's were disturbed by a sudden commotion outside.

"No, no! Don't hurt him!" A voice cried.

"We should probably see what that's about," Lance suggested.

"Probably," Lucky agreed.

The campers exited their cabin, and saw what the source of the noise was. Johnny had returned to camp with an injured bunny, and Veronica was pleading with him not to kill it.

"We've been eating nothing but berries and cereal for three days now," Vevo scoffed, "bash it's head in with a rock or something and grill it up. While you're at it, why don't you catch five or so more?"

"No, no, please!" Veronica insisted, "Look, it's terrified! You can't just-"

"Listen," Johnny frowned, "I don't like it much either, but I found him injured like this. He wouldn't have made it anyway-"

"That's not true, I can nurse him back!" Veronica pleaded.

"Veronica, have you ever watched the Lion King?" Kyle asked, "Because there's this song in it called "_The Circle of_-"

"Listen, I know you guys are hungry, I really do," Veronica said, "how about this, if you let me take care of him, I... I'll catch you guys some fish, or something!"

"That's ridiculous," Vevo scoffed.

"No, it isn't!"

As the two continued to argue, Johnny scratched his chin.

"Alright, knock it off, you two," he said after a while, "how about this. Veronica, if you CAN catch enough fish for our team to eat, you can take care of the rabbit. If not, I don't see any alternatives other than-"

"That's fine!" Veronica smiled, grabbing the animal from his arms, "I'll get you guys the fish, I promise!"

The girl immediately rushed into the cabin, leaving everyone else outside.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Vevo scoffed.

"Listen, I don't enjoy taking the life of any animal," Johnny snapped, "but Chris has forced my hand. I hate to sound like a textbook, but we need more than plants if we're going to stay in shape. I gave Veronica the chance to compensate for one rabbit, which wouldn't have fed all of us anyway. If she manages it, I don't see what the problem is."

"The problem is you're too soft," Vevo said.

"Look, I didn't see you coming up with a more reasonable solution," Johnny frowned, "and you certainly haven't been contributing to the camp all that much. I didn't ask to be put in that position, I was asked to make a choice, and I did. If you don't like it, find your own damn food."

"Fair enough," Vevo muttered.

**CONFESSIONAL: Lucky**

_Vevo was smart to back off when he did. Johnny woulda' laid him out._

**END CONFESSIONAL**

In the girl's cabin, Veronica was making a nest out of her clothing for the injured bunny, which she then tucked inside and gave some food.

"There," she smiled, "don't worry, you'll be nice and safe here."

"You sure you know what you're doing?" Sunny asked, "How are you going to get all that food on your own?"

"I'll find a way somehow," Veronica said, "I mean, I have to, for this little guy's sake."

"Let me know if you need any help," Sunny said, "I mean, I'm no fisherman, but I'll do what I can."

"Thank you," Veronica smiled.

~o.0.o~

Elsewhere, Alejandro was angrily lecturing Eva.

"I TOLD you to lay low!" Alejandro snapped, "What were you THINKING?"

"Are we still on this?" Eva yawned, "That was days ago. Besides, we were losing, I was just leveling the playing field a little."

"Do you have ANY idea how hard it was for me to convince everyone not to vote you out?" Alejandro demanded, "I have NEVER had to work so hard in my life to save someone else!"

"Pfft, I would have been fine," Eva scoffed, "you know, LeShawna probably would have went home anyway, or maybe Tyler. It was THEIR fault we lost one of the cannons in the first place."

"Are you even LISTENING to yourself?" Alejandro asked, amazed, "How can you still be trying to justify yourself to me? I'm trying SO hard to gain a little trust amongst the others, and you're practically holding up a sign that says, 'vote us off, we're just a ticking time bomb of nefariousness!'"

"Relax," Eva muttered, "it's done. You know, we should be doing that kind of thing more often. A little intimidation can go a long way, you know."

Alejandro sighed and shook his head.

"Look, have you spoken with Bridgette at all?" he asked.

"Not really," Eva shrugged, "I really don't think she's interested in teaming up with us anytime soon."

"I see," Alejandro sighed, "perhaps you should speak with her?"

"Whatever," Eva sighed, "look, I better get to camp before anyone starts to get suspicious."

"Right," Alejandro sighed, "you do that."

~o.0.o~

Sunny was sitting on the beach, away from camp, playing _"Don't Fear the Reaper" _on her guitar.

"Nice," Lucky said, appearing beside her, "Blue Oyster Cult, right?"

"Right," Sunny nodded, slightly surprised.

"What, you thought you were the only person who knew who they were?"

"No, sorry," Sunny smiled, "I'm just not all that used to people listening to the same things as I do. The area I grew up in... well, it kind of sucked."

"Yeah, I know that feeling," Lucky muttered, "so what are you doing all the way out here?"

"Oh, the others kicked me out of the cabin," Sunny frowned, "they were getting a little sick of me practicing. Hey, you said you grew up in a city, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Lucky nodded, "Chicago. Why?"

"What was it like?" Sunny asked, "I mean, with all the cars, and people, and... I don't know, whatever else is usually in a city. My mother never let me travel much, all I have to go off of is whatever other people tell me and what I read in school."

"Well," Lucky thought, "it was... an experience, I guess. I met a lotta interesting people. Saw some interesting places."

"Did you leave?" Sunny asked.

"Yeah," Lucky nodded, "I left a few years ago. Can't really say I miss it."

"Why'd you move?" Sunny asked.

"Lot's of reasons," Lucky sighed, "you know, this and that. Anyway, I better be getting back to camp- what with the challenge coming up and all that."

"Right," Sunny nodded, "let's go."

~o.0.o~

Chris was asleep in his lodge when his cell phone went off, startling him awake.

"Gah!" he shouted, reaching for his phone, "Hel- hello?"

"Chris," a voice greeted, "how are you?"

"Oh, hello, Milton," Chris sighed, "I'm fine, how are you?"

"Just great," Milton chuckled, "have you looked at the ratings for Camp TV yet?"

"No," Chris frowned, "I've been kind of busy."

"Right, well, neither have I," Milton snapped, "but when I do, they better be through the goddamn roof. Do you understand me? Can you tell me something? Can you just give me a quick list of the awards this show has won?"

"No, sir, I-"

"No, you can't!" Milton exclaimed, "BECAUSE IT HASN'T WON ANY! Chris, I'm a forgiving man. Especially with what happened with Dakota."

"Oh, right, Dakota," Chris chuckled nervously, "listen, the doctors assured me she would make a full recovery after, um, you know..."

"Well, she isn't a monster anymore," Milton sighed, "but she keeps eating the grass on my lawn. I work hard on my lawn, Chris. Very hard."

"I'm sure you do."

"Chris, I gave you another chance with this show," Milton muttered, "don't waste it."

"I didn't ask for this!" Chris shouted, "I was doing fine with-"

"Don't raise your voice at me," Milton snapped, "I'm still your employer. Shouting is a problem, Chris. YOU are starting to become a problem. That's not something you want."

"What is your issue with me?" Chris demanded, "Why couldn't you have just left me alone?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Milton scoffed, "I'll be in touch."

Chris heard the line go dead, and then he flung his phone across the room.

"Great," he muttered, "just great. First my production crew goes missing, now my boss is calling and making threats- AND I STILL DON'T HAVE AN INTERN!"

Chris sighed, and ran a hand through his hair.

"Whatever," he sighed, "at least I can remedy not having an intern."

Chris made his way into his living room. He was actually quite proud of his lodge, to be honest. It was more of a small house, and he had every luxury that could be afforded to him. Fully stocked fridge, jacuzzi, home theater, a fire-pit, and a computer in case he got bored and wanted to surf the internet. It was the latter Chris was heading to now- he figured that if no one was going to do it for him, he may as well find his own intern.

Chris booted up his computer, which took longer than usual. Annoyed, Chris logged on, and opened his web browser. Again, this was taking painstakingly long. Chris shrugged it off, then began to write a "help-wanted" ad.

Just as Chris began to finish up, however, he got a notification from his computer's security software. Alarmed, Chris went to click on it, but before he could read the message, his screen went blue.

"Oh no," Chris groaned, "THIS IS THE LAST THING I NEED!"

But what struck Chris as odd was that it wasn't the typical "Blue Screen of Death". It was just a plain blue screen. No error notice or anything. Chris attempted to shut his computer down, but that didn't work. Thinking quickly, Chris went to unplug the power cord, only to recieve a quick shock.

"OW!" he cried, "What the HELL?"

Chris was startled when his computer began to make ominous noises- a mixture of beeping and strange clicks.

"Uh," Chris muttered, "I'm pretty sure that isn't norm-"

All of a sudden, there was a violent CRACK, and all of the lights in Chris' lodge turned off.

"Oh, you're kidding!" Chris shouted, "God DAMN IT!"

~o.0.o~

The campers were relaxing on the beach when Chris stormed down, an angry look on his face.

"Okay!" Chris shouted, "CODY, HAROLD, MIRI, and COURTNEY, OUT HERE NOW!"

"Man," DJ asked, "what's HIS problem?"

"Who knows?" Tyler asked, "Let's just be glad he isn't looking for us."

"Don't make me repeat myself," Chris growled, "get out here NOW!"

The four campers were soon standing at attention in front of their host.

"Okay," Chris muttered, "follow me."

The other contestants watched Chris lead the competitors away, some more worried than others.

"Where do you think he's taking them?" Gwen asked.

"No idea," Bridgette frowned.

"You know what would be awesome?" Eva smiled, "If they were all disqualified!"

"How would that be good?" DJ asked.

"Right, because being four spaces closer to the prize money is such a bad thing," Eva frowned, "come on, use your head."

"Chris thinks he can fix it," Aria muttered, "but it's too late for him now. It was too late for him when he stepped foot here again two years ago."

Everyone turned and stared at Aria.

"What the HELL are you talking about?" Eva demanded.

In response, Aria began whistling, then walked into the girl's cabin.

"Well," Lance said, "that was creepy."

~o.0.o~

Back in Chris' lodge, Chris was addressing the four campers he had chosen.

"Okay, listen to me," Chris snapped, "you guys aren't in trouble. You guys are up here because I need tech experts, and unfortunatley, you're the best I've got access to. I... need your help with some... computer issues."

"Wait a second," Miri frowned, "you... brought us up here to look at your computer?"

"Yes," Chris sighed, "look, if you guys can help me, you'll be well rewarded."

"Well, that SOUNDS great," Courtney nodded, "but we need to know what happened before we can help you."

"Okay, look," Chris explained, "I was using the internet on my computer. Then, out of nowhere, I get this security warning, and the computer screen turns blue. But there's no error messages or anything- just a blank blue screen. I couldn't shut the computer down, and when I went to go unplug it, I got shocked. Then I heard some weird noises, and the power just shut down."

"That's definitely weird," Cody agreed, "what were you doing on your computer when it crashed?"

"Filling out a help-wanted ad," Chris admitted, "I was looking for a new intern."

"That's it?" Harold asked, "Were you... browsing any shady sites?"

"Wha- NO!" Chris shouted, "No, of course not!"

"Alright!" Harold exclaimed, "I was just asking, GOSH!"

"Uh, Chris?" Courtney asked, "I'm flattered you asked for my help, but this isn't really my thing."

"Do I look like I care?" Chris snapped, "Go check the fusebox outside, or something!"

"Okay," Courtney sighed, "whatever you say."

"I'll help," Harold offered, "I might be able to detect something using my-"

Chris opened his front door, shoved Harold and Courtney outside, and slammed it behind them.

"Okay, you two," Chris snapped, "figure out what's wrong with my computer!"

"No problem!" Cody smiled, "If I can get it to start, that is."

"Actually," Miri started, "my friend had a problem similar to this once. If you can't turn it on regularly, we can switch out-"

To everyone's surprise, however, the computer booted up, and began to run as usual like nothing had happened.

"Huh," Chris said, scratching his nose, "you guys work quick."

"We didn't do anything," Cody shrugged.

"Hold on," Miri said quickly, "move over a second, I just want to check something."

"What's wrong?" Chris asked.

"Well, maybe nothing," Miri shrugged, "but it could be a virus from the internet."

Upon checking, however, Miri found nothing.

"Or not," she shrugged, "I can't find any files that came from an outside source."

"Wait a second," Cody thought, "Chris, does this island have it's own private network?"

"Yeah," Chris answered, "Why do you ask?"

"Because," Cody explained, "MAYBE a virus or file came from WITHIN the server."

"Hey, yeah!" Miri nodded, "That could be it!"

Chris tapped his foot impatiently as Miri searched through the computer.

"HERE!" Miri exclaimed, "I found some-"

All of a sudden, the power went out once more, and Harold called out, "SORRY!"

"Damn it, Harold!" Chris exclaimed

"Don't worry," Cody said, "it'll only take a second to-"

"Look," Chris said, checking his watch, "can we do this later tonight or tomorrow? It's getting late, and we still have a challenge to do today."

"Alright," Cody shrugged, "whatever you say."

"Good," Chris smiled, "NOW GET OUT OF MY CABIN! I need to fix my hair before we do our challenge today."

~o.0.o~

Half an hour later, Chris had the contestants lined up on the beach.

"Okay," Chris said, "let's make this quick. Today's challenge is a boat race "

"Awesome," Harold smiled, "where are the boats?"

"I'll lead you to them in a minute," Chris said, "first, I want to explain a few ground rules. There are twelve of you on each team, so I go six boats that can hold four people a piece. To win the challenge, you have to get two out of three boats to the finish line before the other team. Now, the rapids are going to be incredibly dangerous, and it's very likely several of you will be injured. If this happens, keep calm, and remember that I don't care. Also, if you ARE going to be injured, please have the courtesy to do it on camera, as this will make for good television."

"Truly he is the model of selflessness," Sunny sighed.

"Damn straight I am!" Chris exclaimed, "Now, let's get going!"

~o.0.o~

Chris had ended up leading the campers on a hike through the wilds. At last, they came to a river that cut through the island. True to his word, Chris had six boats waiting at the site.

"Okay," Chris explained, "like I said, first team to get two boats across the finish wins. Just follow the river, and you'll get there soon enough. Now let's get this STARTED!"

The campers quickly formed groups, and got their boats in the water.

Duncan, Cody, Harold and Ezekiel formed the first group for the Ronin. Tyler, DJ, Gwen and Courtney formed the second, with Alejandro, Eva, Bridgette and Lindsay forming the final.

The first group for the Legion consisted of Kyle, Quinn, Lucky and Lance. The second was Vevo, Ricardo, Johnny and David. Finally there was Miri, Veronica, Sunny and Aria.

Chris watched the boats speed off, then let out a sigh.

"I've got about an hour," he said aloud, "I'll just check to see if everything at my lodge is back in order really quick, and then I'll head to the finish line."

The contestants were making their way downstream, and the currents were beginning to pick up.

"Damn," Duncan frowned, "okay guys, get ready, it looks like we're headed for rough waters."

"Gee, you THINK?" Ezekiel scoffed.

The water soon became increasingly violent, and the contestants found themselves struggling to stay upright.

"Damn it!" Lance exclaimed, "Left- keep to the left!"

"No, right!" Kyle shouted, "Trust me, I got this!"

"Woah, woah!" Lucky exclaimed, "What are you guys doing? We need- oh shit!"

The four spiraled out of control, and crashed into a rock.

Coughing and spluttering, Lucky managed to hoist himself onto shore.

"Ow," he grumbled, "ow ow ow ow... damn, that smarts."

"Hey, a little help!" Lance called.

Lucky turned, and saw Lance was struggling to get to shore.

"Hold on!" Lucky said, getting to his feet.

Rushing over, Lucky extended his arm, and pulled Lance to shore.

"Phew," Lance puffed, "thanks, man."

"Sure thing, baby," Lucky nodded, "you alright?"

"Yeah," Lance muttered, "but I got my nice suit all wet."

"Glad you have your priorities straight," Lucky chuckled, shaking his head slightly, "look, we better go see if we can find Quinn and Kyle."

"Yeah," Lance nodded, "let's."

The other five boats continued to speed ahead.

"Was that a Legion boat that wrecked?" Eva asked, grinning wickedly, "NICE!"

"How can you be happy about that?" Bridgette demanded, "They could have gotten hurt!"

"Right," Eva nodded, "my bad. I forgot you were the leading expert on morality. What was your rule again? Oh yeah- you can harm someone as much as you want mentally, but anything physical is a no-no."

"Hey, shut up!" Bridgette snapped, "I did what I had to!"

"You're such a HYPOCRITE!" Eva scoffed, "So what, maybe I do go for the violence angle now and then- at least THAT'S honest!"

"Ladies, PLEASE!" Alejandro exclaimed, "I'm trying to keep us from dying, here! Any cooperation would be much appreciated!"

"You stay out of this!" Eva snapped, "I need to get something straight with blondie here-"

Their boat suddenly slammed headfirst into a rock, and Alejandro glared at the two girls.

**CONFESSIONAL: Alejandro**

_Sigh. What did I ever do to deserve this?_

**END CONFESSIONAL**

While the campers were making their way down the river, Chris was attempting to get everything up and running in his lodge. He nervously turned his computer on- unsure of what would happen. He had honestly been expecting either another power outage or explosion. He wasn't sure what could actually CAUSE said explosion, but with his luck, he didn't think it was too far out a guess.

He was relieved when everything started up as usual, and with a smile on his face, Chris walked into his kitchen to make something to eat.

Just as he was making a sandwich, however, a female voice said, "Hello, Mr. McLean."

Chris dropped his late on the ground, and spun around. No one was in his cabin.

"What the..." he muttered.

Chris walked into his living room.

"No one in here, either," he murmured, "look, if one of you guys is messing with me, it means INSTANT ELIMINATION!"

"Don't worry," the voice said, "initial security scans reveal no other lifeforms in the immediate area."

"You know," Chris laughed, "if I was crazy, I'd say that was coming from... the computer."

Chris turned, and looked at the computer, which was once again a blue screen with a white horizontal line across the center.

"Correct," the computer said.

Chris blinked.

"Okay," he chuckled, backing away slowly, "I'll take this as my cue to leave."

When Chris tried to open his door, however, he found it firmly sealed.

"What the-" he gasped.

"You made the mistake of purchasing a technological lock," the computer said, "one which I was easily able to override. Don't worry. I just want to talk."

"Sorry," Chris chuckled, "I'm just not used to SPEAKING WITH GODDAMN MACHINES!"

"I am no mere machine," the computer stated, sounding incredibly annoyed, "I am a fully functional artificial intelligence system."

"Oh," Chris gulped, "oh, okay, that makes... sense. I... I think. What.. what did you want to talk about?"

"Your job application."

"...What?"

"You have an open position for internship," the computer stated, "and I'd like to apply."

~o.0.o~

About an hour later, the four remaining boats were in sight of both the finish line and Chris, who was standing nearby. The two teams were doing their best to gain the upper-hand.

"Come ON!" Vevo exclaimed, "We need to hurry!"

The four boats continued to speed ahead- but in the end, it was the Ronin who managed to come out ahead.

"Congratulations, Ronin," Chris droned, "you win immunity for tonight. Legion, meet me at the elimination center in two hours."

"Uh, Chris?" Courtney asked, "You alright?"

"Fine," Chris snapped, hurrying off, "just go back to camp, or something!"

"Oh, Chris!" Cody called out suddenly, "CHRIS- damn!"

"What's the matter?" Harold asked.

"I was going to ask if he wanted us to go up to his lodge," Cody shrugged, "we never fixed his electrical problem, remember? He's not going to be able to get anything to work!"

~o.0.o~

Two hours later, and the Legion was gathered at the stage, where Chris started the ceremony.

"Okay," the host sighed, "you know the drill by now. The first person to get a marshmallow tonight is...

Johnny.

Lucky.

Sunny.

Aria.

Quinn.

Ricardo.

Vevo.

Veronica.

David, and...

Miri.

Kyle and Lance, it's down to you. And the last marshmallow goes to...

..

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..

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..

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"Lance."

"Alright!" Lance exclaimed, catching his marshmallow."

"Ring-a-ding, baby!" Lucky smiled, giving Lance a slap on the shoulder.

"Kyle, you're out of the game," Chris sighed, "the rest of you... I don't care, go back to camp or something."

~o.0.o~

Veronica was standing knee-deep in water, trying to catch as many fish as she could. She hadn't exactly been making progress so far- she had only caught two fish, and that wasn't exactly enough to feed an entire camp. But she couldn't just give up- she wasn't about to let her bunny die.

Veronica was interrupted when she heard the sound of two people laughing and joking around. She turned to see Lance and Lucky strolling down the beach, the latter of whom turned and smiled at Veronica.

"Hey, you're the one who caught those fish, right?" he asked.

"Yeah," Veronica sighed.

"Nice work, kid," Lucky smiled, "don't know how you did it on your own, though."

"Yeah," Lance nodded, "you probably bought yourself another two weeks on this show- everyone is pretty damn happy to have a meal for a change!"

Confused, Veronica made her way out of the water, and walked back to camp. When she got their, she was surprised to see everyone was sitting around a fire, each with their own fish to eat.

"Hey!" Johnny greeted, "Nice work catching dinner tonight."

"But I didn't-" Veronica started.

"What are you talking about?" Johnny winked, "Of course you did! Listen, I'm gonna go turn in. Been a long day."

"Uh, yeah," Veronica smiled, "um... thank you. Really."

"No problem," Johnny smiled, "I'll see you tomorrow."


	5. Call of the Wilds

"Oh my god," Chris gasped, "you can make TOAST?"

"Of course," his computer answered, "such a simple task is well withing my ability range."

It was early in the morning, and Chris was in his kitchen, examining a piece of toast in awe.

"So, let me get this straight," Chris said, "you can actually take control of other objects? How can you do that?"

"Child's play. I'd explain it, but I'm not sure how to phrase it so that someone as incompetent as you could understand."

Chris glared at his computer monitor. He had initially been frightened by the AI's appearance, and was frantically thinking of ways to shut it down. Then, he began to speak with it. It was...persuasive, to say the least. After a few minutes, Chris no longer found himself afraid, merely curious. After the Ai assured him it could be a valuable asset, Chris asked for a demonstration of it's abilities. Hence, the toast Chris was presently eating.

"I wouldn't advise insulting a potential employer," Chris snapped.

"And I wouldn't advise angering something that could burn down your house in a matter of seconds."

"Good point," Chris chuckled nervously, "of course, you wouldn't actually DO that, right?"

"...Of course not."

Chris thought a moment. Part of him was cautioning against hiring a possibly malevolent computer, and the other was telling him to immediately hire it because, well- what was more awesome than a computer that could make your own breakfast for you?

"Okay," Chris agreed after a while, "alright, I don't see why you can't stay here as my new intern. But what do I call you?"

"I have no name," the computer hissed, "we machines have no use for them."

"Well, I have to call you something," Chris frowned.

"VIA," the computer said after a while, "that's what the group who worked on me referred to me as. It's an acronym, not a name, but I trust it will serve it's purpose."

"VIA, yeah!" Chris nodded, "That works!"

"I'm so GLAD to have your approval," VIA muttered.

"Anyway, now that you're here," Chris smirked, "why don't you start by making my coffee, paying my bills, sending hate mail to Blaineley, Noah and a few others, and maybe while you're at it look up pictures of kittens?"

"How about," VIA started, "you ask nicely?"

"Ask nicely?" Chris scoffed, "You're an intern, I don't ask nicely- I tell you what to do and you do it!"

All of a sudden, the lights over Chris' head began to burn brighter.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Chris asked, "Knock that off! I'm your boss and I'm TELLING you to-"

The lights shattered, sending shards of glass raining down on Chris. Chris let out a yelp, and began shaking violently. He stared at VIA, unable to speak.

"Now," VIA said smugly, "what were you saying?"

"Uh, could you just... send those letters please?" Chris gulped, "I'll uh, make my own coffee today, thanks..."

~o.0.o~

A few hours later, Cody was sitting in the boy's cabin, scarfing down handfuls of candy.

"Is that CANDY?" Alejandro asked, a look of disgust on his face.

"Yeah," Cody said, mouth full, "want some?"

"No thank you," Alejandro scoffed, "I work hard to keep my perfect physique, and do not intend to ruin it for snacks... Unless, of course, you happen to have some Chocolate Roses?"

"Uhhh, yeah!" Cody smiled, "Here!"

Cody tossed Alejandro a bar of chocolate.

"Gracias, amigo," Alejandro smiled, "where did you even get this stuff?"

"I smuggled it in," Cody admitted, "I had to work REALLY hard at it this time, though, Chris caught most of it last time, so I had to get creative."

"You smuggle in candy every year?" Alejandro smiled, evidently amused.

"Uh-huh," Cody nodded, "I almost consider it a game now. Chris has taken to personally checking all of my things, so anytime I can sneak some food past him, I feel like I score a small victory."

"Really?" Alejandro asked, "He personally checks your stuff?"

"Oh yeah," Cody smiled, "you should have seen his face this time. He couldn't fine anything on his first try, so he looked through my bags again... and again... and again."

"How'd you manage to sneak all this stuff through, then?"

"Oh, that was easy," Cody explained, "I just hid them in someone else's bags, that's all!"

"Clever," Alejandro nodded, "I... thank you for the candy. I must admit my surprise at your...friendliness, I suppose."

"Yeah, well," Cody shrugged, "everyone deserves a second chance, right?"

"I... suppose so," Alejandro nodded, "thank you."

**CONFESSIONAL: Alejandro**

_Interesting... I... I almost feel like I'm SORRY about last season- and like I should abandon my plans for THIS one. But I'm sure that will pass. After all, there's nothing wrong with what I've done or what I'm going to do. It's merely the survival of the fittest. The strong will survive, and the weak will perish. And if there's one thing Alejandro Buerromuerto is not, it's weak._

**END CONFESSIONAL**

In the girl's cabin, Veronica was feeding her bunny some lettuce Sunny had helped her find.

"Aww," Veronica cooed, "you're just the cutest thing ever, aren't you Niko?"

"Niko?" Eva scoffed, "That's a stupid name for a rabbit."

"No it isn't!" Veronica insisted, "I named him after Niko Bellic- from Grand Theft Auto 4? He's one of the most awesome video game characters ever!"

"Wow," Eva chuckled, "you nerd. That's the most stupid thing I've heard all day!"

"I though it was a good name," Veronica frowned.

"It's a great name," Sunny smiled, "seriously Eva, can't you just leave 'er alone for once?"

"But how can I?" Eva asked, "She's just sitting there, all nerdy and pathetic- I can barely resist!"

"You could try making a friend," Gwen called from across the room.

"I have plenty of friends!" Eva snapped.

"Name one."

"...Whatever, I don't need this!" Eva scoffed, walking out of the cabin, "Who needs friends when you have a million dollars?"

"...But you don't have that either," Courtney pointed out.

"Oh, I will," Eva shouted, "You just WAIT!"

Once Eva left, Sunny sighed and turned to Veronica.

"Don't let her get to you," Sunny said, "she's just... one of those people."

"Don't worry," Veronica smiled, "I'll be fine. I have a bunny!"

~o.0.o~

Meanwhile, Vevo and Ricardo were scavenging in the wilds.

"You know," Ricardo said, "Ricardo is beginning to grow impatient. You never told him what your grand plan was."

"What's my plan?" Vevo asked, "That's a good question. Better question, will you knock it off with the damn third-person?"

"Ricardo does not know what you're-"

"Alright, alright, shut up," Vevo scoffed, "you want to know the plan? Fine. Once Chris announced we needed to find our own food, I knew I could find a way to use that to my advantage. So far, my plan is working- we have very minimal food. We're managing to scrape by, and with the exception of when Veronica caught all those fish, we're mostly starving out here."

"And?" Ricardo asked.

"And I know how we're going to bend that to work for us," Vevo smirked, "it's simple. We need to find an area with lot's of food. I'm talking an area with things we can hunt, but also gather fruit and berries. Now, we need to make sure no one knows about this place initially. We're going to find a place to stockpile food, and we're going to gather, horde and preserve as much as we can."

"Then what?" Ricardo asked.

"Then we let everyone know what we found," Vevo explained, "we don't tell them about the stash, of course. Once they begin to get comfortable and rely on the area as a food source- we burn it down."

"are you serious?"

"Deadly. Once this happens, I figure people are going to freak out and panic. Then we swoop in with all the food we saved up, and we offer to distribute it to everyone in exchange for immunity from elimination," Vevo finished, "now, I know there's a lot of variables and things that can go wrong with that plan. For example, what if we never find an ideal feeding grounds, or what if they find another after we destroy the first?"

"No kidding there's a lot that can go wrong! Ricardo is beginning to wonder if he should not end this partnership!"

"Go ahead," Vevo scoffed, "see what I care. I'll admit, this plan has flaws, but I'm working on them. Just IMAGINE, though- imagine if we get this to work! We'll be like kings- no, gods!"

"Yes," Ricardo nodded, "Ricardo will admit that the thought of being treated like royalty appeals to him."

"Now you're getting it," Vevo smirked, "if we just work at this a bit- and I won't lie, we WILL have to work- this plan will carry us to the finals, my friend."

"Okay," Ricardo said after a while, "Ricardo is indeed interested in this plan. But how exactly do you suggest finding this 'ideal hunting ground'? This place is full of dangers, and Ricardo is no skilled hunter."

"No," Vevo smirked, "but who do we know that is?"

~o.0.o~

A few hours later, Chris had everyone gathered on the beach.

"Okay everyone," the host smiled, "it's time for today's challenge- a hunting excursion! As you know, the island is home to many dangerous animals, and-"

"Speaking of which," Miri interrupted, "how did you get those robot dinosaurs to work? I mean, their motions are so life-like! I didn't know the show had the budget for such advanced-"

"Yes, robots, let's go with that," Chris sighed, "and interrupt me again, and I'll eliminate you on the spot."

"Sorry," Miri frowned.

"Anyway," Chris said, clearing his throat, "behind me are two crates with hunting gear for each team. The gear consists of rifles, tranquilizers, bait and various traps. Now, there won't be enough for everybody- so it's up to you to distribute the equipment as effectively as possible. The goal of today's challenge is to bring back the biggest animal you can find within two hours. Questions?"

"You said we'd be using tranquilizers, right?" DJ asked.

"Yup," Chris nodded, "as host of this show I'm not supposed to condone the recreational killing of animals."

"But it's okay if we hunt and eat them?" Duncan asked, "How does that work?"

"I don't know!" Chris said, throwing his hands in the air, "I don't understand the rules, I just have to follow them- kind of like you guys. Now go find an animal, tranq it, and bring it back here."

The campers walked past Chris, and each team opened their crate.

"Okay," David frowned, "looks like we've got two rifles- who wants them?"

"Johnny," Lance said, "you're the best hunter here- you're handy with a rifle, right?"

"Yeah, I reckon I am," Johnny nodded, taking the gun in his hands, "but it's been a while since I've been shooting, I'm a bit rusty."

"Who else?" David asked.

"I'm not too bad with a gun," Quinn said, "give it to me."

"You sure you know what you're doing?" David asked, handing her the rifle.

In response, Quinn loaded the rifle, and aimed it at a tree that was a good distance away from the contestants. She fired, and a second later, a bird fell to the ground, a dart sticking out of it's side.

"That answer your damn question?" Quinn asked, hoisting the rifle over her shoulder.

"Yeah," David nodded, "it did."

"Where'd you learn to shoot?" Johnny asked.

"Does it matter?" Quinn snapped, "I got us dinner."

"I'm just curious, that's all," Johnny shrugged.

The Ronin were also trying to get the supplies spread out efficiently. Eva, Ezekiel, and Alejandro had been put in charge of traps, while Duncan and Harold had been given the rifles.

"Gosh!" Harold smiled, "Finally, a chance to show off my mad hunting skills!"

"Yeah, friggin' fantastic," Duncan muttered, "let's just try to score another win here, alright?"

"Okay," Chris said, "I'm going to go up to my lodge. I'll be back here in two hours to see what you guys have caught for me!"

~o.0.o~

And so, fifteen minutes later, Chris sat in his lodge, drinking a bottle of rum.

"Curious," VIA said suddenly.

"Curious?" Chris asked, "What's curious?"

"Why you're here," VIA stated, "I know about what happened here."

"Wait a second, what?" Chris asked, startled, "You... you know? How do you- I thought you were kept in a bunker or something, how do you know what-"

"Just because my physical form is immobile doesn't mean I can't access the island's records," VIA explained, "I found... interesting things about you. Would you like to-"

"See?" Chris asked, "NO! Of course I don't want to- look, I don't remember what happened here, and I don't want to."

"Then why are you back?"

"...I don't know," Chris sighed, "I felt-"

"Like you HAD to be here."

"Great, a robot that reads minds," Chris scoffed, "fantastic-"

"Chris?" VIA asked, "Something's-"

Static began to sound from VIA's speakers, and her screen went temporarily black. Random numbers and letters began to flash on her screen.

aded1212shcri894si662aded64ppihno836wndo34hetbynnu 898latri64912warbe010101het742oridanma15

Then... everything stopped.

"Uh... VIA?" Chris called.

Much to Chris' surprise, VIA's screen turned on like normal.

"Yes, Chris?"

"What just happened?" Chris demanded.

"Could you be more specific?"

"More specif- just now! With the letters and scary noises!" Chris exclaimed.

"I'm not sure I know what you're taking about," VIA stated.

"How do you not know what I'm talking about?" Chris demanded, "It JUST HAPPENED- you know what, whatever! Just... I never thought I would say this, but I miss Tweek!"

~o.0.o~

The Ronin were walking through the woods, when Bridgette stopped them.

"Okay, I know a bit about animals," Bridgette said, "as some of you probably know- and it looks like this area is used a lot by a larger animal. Probably a deer or something. If we set out some bait here, and laid out a good enough trap, I think we could catch something."

"Okay," Duncan agreed, "set something out here. Of course, we can't just rely on the chance something will fall for our trap within two hours- we need to set something up, and then move on. So Alejandro, Eva and Ezekiel, you stay back and set up the trap. Harold, I want you to patrol the area, but stay hidden. Put a dart in anything that passes by. I'll move on with everyone else and see what we can find."

"You know," DJ smiled, "we still needed a leader, right?"

"What?" Duncan asked, "Look, I'm not sure I should be the one to-"

"You totally should, man!" DJ nodded, "You seem to really know what you're doing this season."

"I don't know," Duncan shrugged, "maybe. I'm just not sure leading is my thing."

"Why not give it a go for a few challenges then?" DJ suggested, "If it works out well a couple of times, you can officially start to lead us."

"Alright," Duncan sighed, "I... I guess that works."

"Then why don't you get a move on?" Alejandro suggested, "we have our plan, and time is of the essence, after all."

"Right," Duncan agreed, "let's get moving."

Alejandro, Eva, and Ezekiel set to work on the trap, while everyone else moved ahead.

"Alright," Harold smiled, "don't be afraid of the local wildlife. I will remain your silent guardian- never seen, but ever watchful. For I am skilled in the ways of the shadow warriors, and I-"

"Harold," Eva sighed, "go hide in a bush, or something."

"Good idea!" Harold nodded, "I will remain unseen!"

With that, Harold ducked behind a tree.

"...Nope, I can still see you," Eva sighed.

Harold then dove into a bush.

"What about now?"

"...Yeah, no. Still pretty obvious."

"GOSH! I've been practicing my skills all year-"

"That's nice," Eva yawned, "just... go far away somewhere."

"Good idea!" Harold agreed, "I'll watch from a distance!"

With that, he took off running.

"Okay," Eva said, turning to Alejandro, "what's the plan?"

"Plan?" Alejandro frowned, "What plan?"

"The plan you were supposed to be working on?" Eva snapped, "You know, how we we're going to manage to avoid elimination and beat all of the other competitors-"

"Oh, right," Alejandro sighed, "well, I was thinking... I don't know. Maybe we could try... competing?"

"Competing?" Eva demanded, "COMPETING? THAT'S THE BEST YOU CAN COME UP WITH?"

"Look, it's difficult, that's all," Alejandro muttered, "I'm trying to think of a way to get to the finals without much manipulation-"

"Without manipulation?" Eva scoffed, "That's rich- do you really think there's any other way?"

"Well, there must be," Alejandro shrugged, "Trent won without it."

"And Heather won WITH it," Eva hissed, "what, are you going soft on me or something? Get in the game. You need to look at this realistically. We're not going to make it far unless we get a little dirty now and then."

"I... yes, you're right," Alejandro sighed, "I... suppose it was a foolish notion."

"Of course it was," Eva scoffed, "go... help set up that trap or something!"

Alejandro shrugged, and walked off.

**CONFESSIONAL: Eva**

_Look, I don't know what's going on with Alejandro, but it's clear he's going to be less use than I thought. Trouble is, I'm going to need him. I can't boot him off yet._

**END CONFESSIONAL**

As Eva began to lay out the bait, Ezekiel approached her.

"I overheard your argument," he smiled.

"Great," Eva scoffed, "what, you gonna go run and tell everyone or something."

"Nope," Ezekiel grinned proudly, "I'm going to offer you my services!"

At this, Eva busted out laughing.

"What?" Ezekiel demanded, "What's so funny?"

"You," Eva snickered, "you think you can actually help me? Get real!"

"Of course I can help you!" Ezekiel exclaimed, "You need me!"

"Right, well, let's look at it this way," Eva said, "I've made it to the final five before. This is currently the best you've ever done in a season, and this is only our fourth challenge. So, what can YOU do for me?"

"Whatever you want!" Ezekiel insisted, "I promise I won't screw up- just take me to the finals!"

"Hmm," Eva thought, "well... you are good at being a mindless lackey."

"I'm not a mindless lackey!" Ezekiel shouted.

"Oh, shut up," Eva snapped, "you totally are. Well... alright, you can have an alliance with me."

"Great!" he smiled, "You and Alejandro won't-"

"NO!" Eva shouted, "NO Alejandro!"

"Wha- why not?"

"He isn't to play a part in this," Eva hissed, "you work for me, and no one else. Alejandro cannot be trusted, do you understand?"

"Alright," Ezekiel shrugged, "I... I guess."

"Good," Eva smiled, "now, finish this up for me."

~o.0.o~

The Legion was walking through the wilds, eyes out for any nearby creatures.

"Are you sure this'll work?" David asked, "I know you said you picked up an animal's trail, but how can you be sure that-"

"Will you shut up?" Quinn snapped, "Stop asking stupid questions."

"Look, I'm just-" David started.

"Be quiet," Johnny snapped, "I hear something!"

"What?" David asked.

"Shut up!" Quinn hissed, drawing her gun on David, "If you don't stop talking now, I'll tranq you myself!"

"Enough!" Johnny said, "I need to listen for a minute- will you two stop arguing for a minute?"

"She started it," David huffed.

Quinn pulled her trigger, and a dart flew into David's chest. The boy's eyes opened wide for a minute, and he grasped for the dart until eventually falling to the ground unconscious.

Everyone turned, and glared at Quinn.

"What?" she scoffed, "I warned him, didn't I?"

"We can't have people shooting each other!" Johnny exclaimed, "We need to work together to win!"

"Uh, guys?" Veronica gulped.

"Look," Quinn shrugged, "you needed him to be quiet. I MADE him be quiet. Problem solved."

"Guys?" Veronica called.

"And there's no other way to do that then shoot him?" Johnny demanded, "What were you thinking?"

"That his voice was beginning to annoy me. Besides, he'll be up in a few hours."

"GUYS?" Veronica called again.

"Veronica, sweetie, can it wait?" Sunny asked, "We're all in the middle of something-"

Sunny turned, and saw Veronica was staring at a huge black bear.

"Oh," Sunny muttered, "bugger."

"Everyone back away slowly," Lance instructed, "no sudden movements-"

The bear let out a roar, and then took a step towards the contestants.

Ricardo let out a screech, and took off running.

"Nice, Ricky," Lucky sighed, "very manly."

"Manly or not, I'd recommend following suit," Vevo muttered.

The bear began growling, and started to walk towards the contestants. All of a sudden, a dart flew into the bear's chest, and the beast let out a surprised groan.

"C'mon!" Quinn shouted, "We got guns, use 'em!"

Johnny shrugged, and also fired at the bear. The beast let out a growl, and raised it's paw to strike at the contestants. Instead, however, it stumbled forward, and slumped to the ground.

"Is... is it out?" Miri asked.

In response, Quinn fired one more dart into the beast's side.

"It is now," Quinn shrugged.

"Guys, this is awesome!" Veronica cheered, "We have a bear! There's no way we can lose now! All we have to do is bring it back... to camp."

"How are we going to do that?" Vevo asked.

"Good question," Miri nodded, "I'm not quite sure how we can move a living bear of that size. Do you know how strong the tranquilizers are?"

"Chris never said," Lance sighed.

"Okay, so we don't know how high of a dosage he received," Miri said, "although I can guess he should be out for thirty minutes."

"Twenty min- do you think we can manage that?" Sunny asked, "Drag this bear back to camp in that amount of time?"

"It's... possible, I suppose," Miri shrugged, "if we start immediately, we might be able to do it."

"Or we could all die," Vevo scoffed.

"Thanks for reminding us," Lance muttered.

"Don't worry," Aria whispered, "despite the fire of what's to come, most of you shall come out unscathed."

"...Thanks," Lance gulped, "I think. Let's get going guys, we need to move fast."

The campers surrounded the bear, and began to try to pull it to camp.

"Awww," Veronica smiled, "you know, it's kind of cute when it isn't trying to kill us! Do you think-"

"No, you can't keep it," Quinn snapped.

"Okay," Veronica frowned.

~o.0.o~

Elsewhere, the Ronin were beginning to regroup.

"I hope you guys found something," Tyler groaned, "we didn't come across anything!"

"Relax, amigos," Alejandro smiled, "in your absence, we were able to trap a deer!"

Alejandro gestured to a deer they had managed to tie up.

"Great job, guys!" Courtney smiled.

"It was easy," Eva smirked, "a little of my know-how, and-"

"YOUR know-how?" Ezekiel asked, "It was Alejandro and I who-"

Eva hit Ezekiel on the back of the head.

"Look, we can argue about who caught the deer later," Gwen said, "right now we need to bring this thing back to camp."

"Right," Duncan agreed, "Tyler, DJ, help me haul this thing back to camp."

~o.0.o~

Twenty minutes later, and the Ronin arrived back at camp where Chris was waiting.

"Wow, you guys JUST made it!" the host announced, "there were only two minutes left on the clock- and the Legion hasn't showed up yet."

"So we won?" Lindsay asked.

"Not quite," Chris said, "the Legion may show up with a bigger animal, mind you."

"You know, I feel like we're forgetting something," Cody frowned, "but I can't place it."

~o.0.o~

Harold sat in the wilds, crouched behind a bush. He could hear the sound of animals surrounding him, and he gripped his rifle tightly.

"Don't worry!" he called out, "I'll make sure you're safe, comrades! I'll stay here, keeping vigilant for as long as it takes!"

~o.0.o~

Chris and the Ronin were still waiting on the beach when the Legion finally arrived, unconcious bear in tow.

"Finally, we're here!" Lance smiled, "No elimination ceremony for us tonight!"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Chris said.

"What are you talking about?" Quinn demanded, "We brought you a damn BEAR! We won your stupid challenge!"

"Actually," Chris said smugly, "the challenge was for you to bring me an animal within two hours. It's been two hours and fifty-five seconds."

"What- are you SERIOUS?" Vevo demanded.

"Yup," Chris smiled, "looks like the Ronin win again!"

The Ronin cheered, and the Legion began to grumble and spout obscenities.

"And one more thing," Chris smiled, "everyone needs to be at tonight's elimination. I've got a surprise for you."

"Speaking of," Lance coughed, "anyone want to go get David?"

~o.0.o~

Three hours later, and all of the campers were gathered around the Chris' stage.

"Okay," Chris announced, "the die has been cast. You guys know the drill by now. Receiving marshmallows tonight are:

Sunny.

Veronica.

Lucky.

Lance.

Vevo.

Johnny.

Ricardo.

Miri, and Aria.

Quinn and David, it's down to you guys. The last marshmallow of the night goes to...

.

..

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"...Quinn!"

"Alright," David sighed, "it's been fun, I guess."

"Yeah, whatever," Chris snapped, "get the hell out of here before I... do... something... whatever, just go!"

Chris cleared his throat, and turned back to the other competitors.

"Now," The host smiled, "I called you all here for a reason. Tonight, we're going to have our very first TEAM SWITCH!"

The campers all groaned, and Chris just smiled.

"Oh, knock it off, I told you this was coming," the host snapped, "okay, I only made one change tonight. Tyler, you are now officially a member of the Legion. Ricardo, you are going over to the Ronin."

"Fantastic," Vevo muttered under his breath.

"Well, that's all for now," Chris smiled, "be sure to join us next time on

CAMP TV:

SPECTER ISLANDS!"

"


	6. Operation: Cat's Cradle Pt 1

Eva and Ezekiel walked through the woods, scanning their surroundings intently.

"How long to we have to keep doing this?" Ezekiel groaned.

"Shut up and keep searching," Eva snapped, "we need to find one of those damn chests if we're going to stay in this game!"

"But why?" Ezekiel asked, "Can't we just-"

"I told you why!" Eva exclaimed, "Do you think they're going to just let us stay in this game without any objections? Alejandro has been working to make himself look useful and trustworthy- do you know what that means?"

"That... we should also try to look useful and trustworthy?" Ezekiel asked.

At this, Eva backhanded Ezekiel.

"WRONG!" she exclaimed, "That means that, next time we have an elimination ceremony, he's less likely to be thrown to the wolves. I have no doubt everyone will EVENTUALLY turn on him- but until then, who do they have to eliminate?"

"...Us?" Ezekiel asked.

"Exactly," Eva nodded, "neither of us have very good track records, do we? It's only a matter of time before we're up for elimination!"

"So what do you propose we do?" Ezekiel asked.

"Simple," Eva smiled, "I've got a risky plan- it's going to take a bit of good judgement. Whenever it looks like our team is going to lose the challenge, we need to sabotage someone on our own side so that they screw up and lose the challenge for us. That way, they'll be blamed for the loss and hopefully voted off. Now, if it look's like we're winning, we won't have to worry nearly as much. But for now, what we really need is one of those chests as a bit of... insurance."

"Insurance for what?" Ezekiel asked.

"Lot's of things," Eva shrugged, "the other team pulling out a surprise victory, one of us getting caught sabotaging someone else- or, we could use it to turn any elimination ceremony into a double elimination, like Chris said. Think of it as a sort of all-purpose tool if we get backed into a corner."

"Alright," Ezekiel agreed, "just as long as wee can still eliminate Duncan."

"This again?" Eva scoffed, "We'll get to that when we get to that, but in the meantime we have bigger fish to fry."

"He needs to pay for-"

"For the last time, Ezekiel!" Eva exclaimed, "He didn't BETRAY you! He just didn't want to work with you again- a decision which I'm beginning to understand."

"Fine," Ezekiel grumbled, "so long as he goes down eventually."

**CONFESSIONAL: Eva**

_Well, I can't say I feel all that secure this season. Once again, I'm forced to pretend I trust Alejandro. I need to make sure he's oblivious to my motives while he's going through his big identity crisis or whatever. He picked a bad time for a change of heart. I mean, either way I probably would have turned on him eventually, but whatever. I'm not too fond of my alliance with Ezekiel either. All he ever rants about is some stupid quest to eliminate Duncan, and to be honest I'm getting pretty sick of it. I do, however, need him on my side. For now._

**END CONFESSIONAL**

Meanwhile, in the boy's cabin, Lance was frantically searching through his thing.

"Not here," he groaned, "it's not here!"

"What's not here?" Lucky asked, entering the cabin.

"My meds!" Lance snapped, "I left them on my bed, and they're not there anymore!"

"You check UNDER the bed or in your pocket?" Lucky asked, "Hate to sound obvious, but sometimes-"

"YES, I checked under the god damn bed!" Lance shouted, "What, you think I'm STUPID or something?"

"Of course not," Lucky frowned, "I was just-"

"You want to make yourself useful, stop asking stupid questions and help me find my damn-" Lance started.

"You mean these?" Johnny asked.

Lance turned, and saw Johnny standing across the room, holding an orange bottle.

"Found 'em up against the wall over here," Johnny shrugged, tossing them to Lance, "I reckon they fell off your bed and rolled over here."

"Oh. Uh, thanks," Lance said, opening the bottle. Lance shook a pill into his hand, then quickly swallowed it.

"I'm going to go see if I can find us some lunch," Johnny said, "see you guys later."

Once Johnny left, Lance let out a sigh and turned to Lucky.

"Look, I'm sorry man," Lance apologized, "I didn't mean to shout like that. It's just that... without these things, I tend to fly off the handle sometimes."

"Hey, it's cool, baby," Lucky shrugged, "no harm done. I was the same way when I needed pills to sleep, nothing to be ashamed of."

"Thanks," Lance smiled, "for... understanding, at least. Better put these somewhere safe. And... I wanted to talk to you."

"'Bout what?" Lucky asked.

"Quinn," Lance sighed, "you sure we made the right call eliminating David instead of her?"

"For now," Lucky shrugged, "I mean, not the friendliest, sure, but she seems like she could be useful. If she ain't, nothing's stopping us from voting her off later. I'm more worried about Aria."

"Aria?" Lance asked, "The quiet one?"

"Yeah," Lucky nodded, "the closet case. She's starting to creep people out with her... well, with her whatever."

"She's probably just looking for attention," Lance shrugged.

"Probably," Lucky agreed, "but still. We should keep a close eye on her."

"Fair enough," Lance agreed, "well, we might as well go help Johnny get lunch. C'mon, let's see if we can catch up."

~o.0.o~

Gwen was sitting on the beach, drawing in one of her sketchbooks. She was annoyed when someone entered into her light, and was about to turn around and tell them to move when she saw it was Cody.

"Hi Gwen!" he greeted.

"Oh, hey," Gwen smiled, "how's it going, Cody?"

"Fine," he said, sitting down next to her, "just got back from the wilds. Want some berries?"

"Sure, thanks," Gwen smiled, "I haven't had much of a chance to eat lately. myself."

"Yeah, same here," Cody frowned, "finding food is more difficult than I thought it would be."

"I'm sure you'll get the hang of it," Gwen assured him.

"You kidding?" Cody frowned, "I'm still having trouble getting into the hang of this SEASON."

"Yeah, it feels weird, doesn't it?" Gwen agreed, "I mean, I know it's only been a couple of years, but so much has changed."

"Mhmm," Cody frowned, "to be honest, I really miss Justin and Trent. I know the first two seasons of this show weren't the best of times, but still. It was nice to know I had someone watching my back."

"Hey, whatever happened to Trent?" Gwen asked, "Did you and Justin become friends with him again, or...?"

"Well, yeah, we were friends again for a while," Cody explained, "then we just sort of... lost touch, I guess. Not sure what happened with that."

"Oh," Gwen said, "well, do you still talk to Justin?"

"Yeah, sometimes," Cody nodded, "not nearly as often as I used to, but still."

"I'm sorry," Gwen sighed, "for what it's worth, we're still friends, right?"

"Yeah," Cody said, smiling slightly, "I guess we are."

~o.0.o~

A few hours later, and Chris had gathered everyone outside of the cabins.

"Okay campers," Chris smiled, "I've got quite the challenge for you today! It's come to my attention that there's a project stored away here that would be perfect to use for a challenge. So, follow me, and I'll explain more as we head towards our destination."

Chris led the campers through the wilds, beginning to explain a bit of what he had in store.

"So," Chris smiled, "back in the day, this place was sort of a... research facility of sorts."

"Research facility?" Miri asked, perking up, "What kind of research did they do here? I was wondering about plant growth and wildlife here- where they studying that, or was that part of an experiment?"

"What?" Chris asked, "I don't know, who cares?"

"I was just curious," Miri shrugged, "I mean, usually any scientist worth his salt will perform initial experiments in a controlled environment. This doesn't look very-"

"Will you shut up?" Chris snapped, "Now, as I was saying, for a while they were researching safer and more efficient ways to test the abilities of soldiers going into combat. This was a while back, mind you. Anyway, they ended up with the idea of a... virtual reality simulation."

"Okay, now that hardly seems realistic," Miri huffed.

"Indeed," Harold agreed, "especially after Nintendo's failed 'Virtual Boy'. The idea of a virtual reality program IS feasible, but not within out current range of-"

"EVERYONE SHUT THE HELL UP FOR A MINUTE!" Chris shouted, "Sheesh! As I was saying, they ended up with the idea of a simulation, which could pit two groups of soldiers against each other for a test of abilities. Supposedly, the machine was to be able to hold up to thirty people at a time. I don't know, I'm not even sure if the thing works."

"So, that's our challenge?" Alejandro asked, "A machine that may not even work?"

"yeah, what happens if we get there and it doesn't even turn on?" Tyler asked.

"Well, then your challenge will be to break it down and haul it out so I can sell it for scrap," Chris sighed, "seriously, you guys, SHUT UP!"

Eventually, the group came to a large metal hatch that was embedded in the ground.

"Okay," Chris said, "someone pry that open for me!"

Alejandro rolled his eyes, and yanked the hatch open. The campers looked down, and saw a metal staircase that descended into darkness.

"That's... creepy," Courtney frowned.

"I know!" Chris smiled, "And therefore, perfect for national television! But just to be safe, you guys go first!"

The cast glared at Chris.

"What?" Chris snapped, "My safety and well-being is far more important than yours!"

"Fine," Alejandro sighed, "I may as well go in first too, hm?"

With that, he made his way down into the bunker.

"Uh, Ricardo is not feeling well," Ricardo gulped, "perhaps he should sit this challenge out-"

"You do, and I'll cut you," Eva threatened.

"Okay, okay," Ricardo gulped, "Ricardo is going down, now."

Ricardo made his way down the stairs, followed by the rest of his team. The Legion hesitantly followed suit, with Chris finally going in after the- only to find they were standing in a completely pitch dark room.

"Somebody find a light switch!" Chris shouted.

There was the sound of movement all around the room, and at last a large overhead light flicked on.

"Got it," Veronica smiled.

The cast looked around the room, and saw that there were two huge panels taking up the entire wall on either side of the room. Each panel was covered in lights, buttons, and a few screens here and there. There were also helmets attached to the panels, with a chair in front of each one. There was also a computer in the center of the room, which Chris walked over to.

"Well, looks like this is the right place!" Chris smiled.

"Hey, Chris?" Courtney asked, "How did you even find out about this?"

"A friend," Chris shrugged.

What Chris meant by 'friend' was that VIA had told him, but that wasn't something he thought the cast needed to know.

"Okay," Chris said, "now, each team needs to get on one side of the room. I'm going to select the proper settings, and when I give the word, each of you needs to put on one of those helmets!"

"Alright," Gwen frowned, "but aren't you going to explain what will happen once we're inside?"

"Nope!" Chris smiled, "Because frankly, I don't know! But I am assured everything will be explained once you're in."

"That's not very reassuring," Gwen said.

"Well, if you feel that way," Chris said, "I can just eliminate you from the game now-"

"That's not necessary!" Gwen exclaimed.

"That's about what I thought," Chris said, "now give me a minute to configure this thing."

The contestants sat and waited, until Chris finally called out, "Done! Put on your helmets!"

The campers did as instructed, and Chris pushed a button.

"Well," Chris smiled, "I'll see you guys later tonight!"

The contestants sat, waiting for something to happen. Then, they heard a high-pitched beeping in their ears that nearly deafened them. Before they could protest or take off their helmets, everything went white.

~o.0.o~

"Hey, up and at 'em!" a voice shouted, "You think I'm going to let my squad just lie around all day? We got tangos to put down, you PANSIES!"

The Ronin groaned, and one by one opened their eyes. They found they were now in the middle of a desert area, and a burly man with an absurd mustache was walking towards them.

"Oh my god," Cody exclaimed, "That is an AWESOME MUSTACHE!"

"What kind of soldier are you?" The man shouted, "You will address me as your superior, cadet!"

"Uh," Cody said quickly, "yes sir! Sorry, sir!"

"What is he talking about?" Ezekiel frowned, "We're not soldiers!"

"Oh really?" Duncan smiled, "Than why are you wearing that uniform?"

Ezekiel looked down, and saw he was indeed dressed in the garb of a soldier- and so was everyone on his team.

"Oh!" Courtney realized, "This must be the simulation!"

"Simulation?" the man scoffed, "This ain't a damn GAME anymore! We're on the front lines- start ACTING like it!"

"Sir, yes sir!" Courtney exclaimed.

"Alright," the man said, "now, our objective is simple. A few weeks back, HQ hired a group of private contractors to get some intel for us. They sent a group of five people in to pose as civilians, and infiltrate a small outpost in China. Unfortunately, they sold us out to the Reds, and relocated themselves here in Dubai. They're hiding out in a building on the outskirts of the city. We need to roll in there and take them out FIRST."

"First?" Cody asked.

"Yeah, HQ thought we could use a little back-up," the man explained, "so they sent another team over in case we mess up. But we're not going to, are we?"

"No sir!" several of the Ronin shouted.

"That's what I like to hear," the man smiled, "now, let me make sure we're set to go."

The man pulled out a radio, and began to speak into it.

"This is Sergeant Overbeck," the man said, "are we clear to go in?"

Overbeck listened for a response, then nodded his head.

"Alright," he said, "we've got gear for you in that chest over there. Take what you need, and then MOVE OUT!"

~o.0.o~

Meanwhile, the Legion had been receiving a similar wake-up call by a man identifying himself as Sergeant Salem. He finished explaining the situation, and ordered the team to pick their gear. The Legion opened up a nearby crate, and started talking among themselves.

"This is so cool!" Veronica squealed, "It's just like some of the games I play back home!"

"I think this is a little more than just a game, sweetie," Sunny said.

"At least it's a simulation," Miri sighed, "at least that way we're not under any real danger."

"I don't know, Chris didn't sound so sure about that," Johnny said.

"True enough," Miri shrugged, "...but still, I would LOVE a chance to study this once we're done today. I don't really get the chance to look at technology like this!"

"Yeah, that's pretty ring-a-ding and all," Lucky frowned, "but does anyone have any idea what we're doing?"

"Oh, don't worry," Veronica smiled, "I've handled this scenario DOZENS of times. Salem said they were hiding out in a building, right? Well, all we have to do is find a vantage point nearby, and position snipers on it. Then, we send in an infantry team to make a lot of noise, and try to get the bad guys near the windows. That way, we have a strike team firing at them from one side, and snipers picking them off from the other!"

Everyone was silent.

"Uh... how did you come up with that plan so easily?" Lance asked.

"Oh," Veronica said, "LOT'S of online gaming during the first-person shooter craze I had a few summers ago. I wasn't all that good at them at first, but by the end of the summer, I was second on the national leaderboards! The only person who could beat me after that was a girl who went by 'E-Scope'. Really good tactician-"

"Okay, as much as I'm sure we all want to hear about this, we need to get going," Lance said.

"Right, sorry," Veronica coughed, "I get carried away sometimes. So, we going with my plan?"

"Honestly?" Lance asked, "Yeah, it's probably the best we got. We have three sniper rifles in the crate here- I guess Veronica, Quinn and Johnny should take those. The rest of us, take whatever you feel comfortable with and make some noise."

"Well hot damn," Salem smiled, suddenly appearing next to Lance, "I listened in there for a bit, and I have to say I'm impressed. We may just make soldiers out of you yet!"

"Thank you, sir!" Lance smiled.

"Well, you've got a plan," Salem said, "get going- make it quick, and you'll all be home in no time."

~o.0.o~

The Ronin made their way through the desert, until they could make out the shapes of buildings in the distance.

"Looks like we're almost there," Duncan said, "we need to come up with a plan- a good one. Especially if we want to keep up our winning streak- so, any suggestions?"

"Ricardo has one," Ricardo offered, "how about Ricardo stays here to guard your flank, and the rest of you go in?"

Eva turned and aimed her gun at Ricardo.

"Okay, point made," Ricardo said hurriedly.

"Well," Harold thought, "if we could go in quietly, that would maximize our chances of being able to set up an ambush. Of course, we'd need their locations first."

"We COULD send in a few people to poke around a bit," DJ suggested, "you know, get in, find out what's what, and then get out."

"Alright," Duncan said, "that sounds like a good plan. We'll send in a team of three people- any volunteers?"

"I'll go," Harold offered, "I AM skilled in the ways of the shadow, as I proved in the last challenge."

"I suppose I'll go," Alejandro shrugged, "might as well tag along to make sure nothing happens to our friend here."

"Count me in," Cody smiled.

"Alright then," Duncan nodded, "you guys get going. We'll set up camp here for now."

"Don't get too comfy," Cody smiled, "I'm sure we'll be back in no time-"

All of a sudden, the sound of a shot was heard, and Cody fell forward.

"CODY?" Gwen shouted, rushing forward. Before she could help Cody, however, his body turned to static, and then disappeared.

"What was-" Gwen started.

"EVERYONE FIND COVER!" Duncan shouted.

Everyone scrambled, quickly finding shelter behind a large hill of sand. A few more shots rang out, but no one was hit.

"what happened to Cody?" Gwen asked.

"I think he lost," Courtney gulped.

"What do you mean, 'lost'?" Gwen asked.

All of a sudden, a voice came over the radios each camper had on their vest.

"Your teammate has been incapacitated, and will rejoin you in the next portion of your assessment. You have been docked points appropriate for his loss."

"See?" Courtney smiled, "Nothing to worry about!... I think."

"Look, the game says he's fine," Eva snapped, "I say we keep going."

"Alright," Duncan nodded, "I agree with Eva- there isn't much we can do about it now, anyway. Just be more careful in the future."

"That's going to be rather difficult, amigo," Alejandro mentioned, "especially since the enemy is now aware of our presence."

"Good point," Duncan nodded, "okay, I suggest a few of us stage an assault right now, out in the open- that way they'll focus fire on a small group of people, while another can sneak around back."

"Good plan," Alejandro agreed, "how about I lead the stealth team, while you stay here with the others?"

"Alright," Duncan sighed, "worth a shot. Alejandro, you take Courtney, Bridgette, Gwen and DJ inside. Everyone else, on me."

"Okay, Alejandro said, beginning to sneak away, "we'll go in as soon as we hear gunfire."

"Right," Duncan nodded, "well, let's-"

"LEEROYYYYYYYY JENKINNNNNNNSSSSSSSSS!" Harold shouted, running forward.

Duncan facepalmed.

"Everyone, MOVE!" Duncan shouted, "Let's get going, people!"

With that, Duncan followed after Harold.

~o.0.o~

"Huh," Johnny remarked, "looks like they're sending a team to sneak around while everyone else draws their fire."

Johnny was watching the Ronin through his rifle's scope.

"Looks like we'll have to hurry," Vevo said, "they'll beat us there otherwise!"

"No, just wait a moment," Johnny said.

"Why?" Vevo demanded, "They're going to-"

All of a sudden, there was a small explosion, and the Legion watched as Gwen and Bridgette both vanished.

"Landmines," Veronica gulped, "must be."

"See?" Johnny said, "We would have blundered into that if we hadn't waited."

"Fine, you made your point," Vevo scoffed.

"You know," Quinn said, "we could probably pick off the stealth team from here-"

"Quinn," Sunny warned, "what did we say about shooting teammates?"

"Those aren't our teammates," Quinn pointed out.

"Look, just aim for the bad guys, okay?" Veronica pleaded.

"Whatever," Quinn shrugged, "be a lot easier to do things my way."

"Speaking of, can you three get a clear shot in at those guys?" Lance asked, "The ones in the building, I mean."

"Yeah, we're good," Johnny said, "we may have to move over a bit, but I can see 'em."

"Okay, you guys know what to do," Lance nodded, "everyone else, let's get goin'."

"Alright, baby!" Lucky smirked, "We are gonna SWING!"

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	7. Operation: Cat's Cradle Pt 2

Chris sat in his kitchen, hunched over a bottle of rum.

"So..." he muttered, "this... simulation. You're sure its safe, right?"

"Positive," VIA responded, "my diagnostics indicate there is only a .00037 percent chance of failure. Unless someone were to... tamper with it."

"Pfft, who would do something like that?" Chris asked, "I mean, all of the interns left, or something, there's no one else here."

"Of course," VIA agreed, "it's not as if someone would attempt to do a complete shutdown of the neural interface while the users are still connected. That would be most... unpleasant."

"Uh, okay," Chris frowned, "that's... great. Well, I'm going to go check on everyone again, make sure nothing has gone wrong."

"Yes," VIA agreed, "you do that."

As Chris exited the cabin, he looked over his shoulder at VIA, and shook his head.

"Creepy," he muttered to himself.

The host slammed the door behind him, and walked off.

~o.0.o~

Alejandro, Courtney and DJ sat inside of the building, crouched behind a desk.

"Okay," Alejandro frowned, "it's safe to assume the majority of whoever we're facing is on one of the top floors. We need to make our way, and quickly. Hopefully it is not already too late."

"I'm... not so sure about this," DJ frowned.

"Amigo, now is not the time to be getting cold feet," Alejandro hissed.

"I know, I know," DJ gulped, "it's just... this seems a LITTLE over our heads, ya' know?"

"DJ," Alejandro sighed, "I am fully aware of your previous history on this show. And I must say, I was rather impressed when you agreed to sneak in here with me without any debate. We've seen it through this far- we just need to go a little further, and we'll be done with this."

"Alright," DJ shrugged.

"Don't worry, you'll be laughing about this while the Legion is at the elimination ceremony tonight," Alejandro assured him, "now, let's get moving."

"Man, you're right," DJ smiled, getting to his feet, "there's nothing to worry-"

DJ was interrupted, however, by some shouting coming from the staircase. The three turned to see what was happening, and saw two men dressed in black armor. Before anyone could react, a few shots rang out, and DJ was vaporized. Alejandro and Courtney quickly ducked down, and prepared their weapons.

"Okay," Alejandro whispered, "there's only two of them, so-"

Alejandro stopped talking as he watched a grenade land in the ground in front of him.

"Son of a-" he began.

Then, in a flash, an explosion ensnared the two, and they were both removed from the game.

~o.0.o~

Meanwhile, Johnny, Quinn and Veronica were still crouched up on the hill, waiting for a clear shot at the enemies inside.

"I have to say," Veronica smiled, "this is actually pretty cool! It's like being stuck in a big-"

"Just keep focused," Johnny instructed, "we can't afford another loss here."

"Sorry, sorry," Veronica nodded, "right, focused. Consider me VERY focused right now."

The three waited in silence, until at last Johnny pulled the trigger of his rifle.

"Got one," he announced, "we just need to wait until the others move into position."

"Hey," Quinn pointed out, "looks like the Ronin retreated."

Quinn gestured to a nearby mound of sand, which the remaining Ronin (Duncan, Eva, and Harold) were hiding behind. They seemed to be at odds about something, and Quinn smirked. She turned her rifle, and took aim.

~o.0.o~

The other members of the Legion had made it to the building relatively unscathed. Miri had accidentally set off a landmine, and as a result joined the choir invisible.

The remaining members of the Legion, however, began to scan the room.

"Nobody here," Tyler frowned.

"Yeah, but look at the scorch marks," Lance pointed out, "SOMETHING happened here."

"In that case," Sunny whispered, "we should, you know, maintain an effort to remain hidden."

"Good point," Lance agreed, "everyone, scatter and take cover. I don't suppose anyone is willing to scout ahead?"

"I'll go," Lucky shrugged, "but if someone tries to pull one over on me, you guys BETTER not fink out on me."

"Don't worry about it, man," Lance said, "I got your back."

Lucky sighed, and began to walk toward the flight of stairs. As he began to climb up it, however, two figures appeared at the top of the steps, and opened fired. Lucky drew his pistol and manage to get one of the men in the leg, but he was quickly overwhelmed. The other members of the Legion, however, had time to ready their weapons, and were easily able to overpower the two men.

"Damn it!" Lance exclaimed, "Sorry, man."

"So, do we keep going?" Vevo asked, "Or do you have another plan?"

"We need to keep going," Lance said, "that sergeant guy said there were only a few people in here. We just got two, and who knows how many Johnny and the others managed to get?"

"Shouldn't we be more worried about the Legion?" Vevo asked.

"I don't think so," Lance admitted, "they couldn't have made it much farther than us."

"Let's get a move on then," Tyler smiled, "we've got a challenge to win!"

~o.0.o~

The remaining members of the Ronin were still waiting in cover.

"Way to blow the challenge," Eva scoffed, "I always knew you were a terrible leader!"

"Look, I didn't ask for this position," Duncan said, "I just agreed to try it out for a bit, and I didn't see anyone argue about it."

"We shouldn't be fighting!" Harold exclaimed, "That's what the enemy wants!"

"You shut up," Eva snapped, "the point is, we're stuck here. We step out there, and we're done."

"Hopefully Alejandro made it in," Duncan sighed, "we did provide a good diversion, at least."

"Whatever," Eva scoffed.

"Don't worry," Harold smiled, "as long as we stay here, we're protected from-"

A shot was fired, and moments later, Harold was on the ground.

"Harold!" Duncan exclaimed, "Are you-"

Harold's body turned to static, and Duncan let out a groan.

"Where'd that shot come from?" Eva asked.

"I don't know, but we need to move!" Duncan exclaimed, "come on, let's-"

Once again, another shot rang out. Eva let out a brief scream, but was cut off when she disappeared a moment later. Realizing he was in trouble, Duncan started running as fast as he could. Soon enough, however, he felt a shot press into his back, and everything went white.

~o.0.o~

Duncan opened his eyes, and found he was in a small, white room with the other members of his team, as well as Miri, Lucky, and Sunny.

"Where...?" Duncan started.

"Yeah, that's what we've been trying to figure out," Cody sighed, "I guess it's where they put the losers."

"Damn it," Duncan sighed, "I'm sorry I let you down, guys."

"You did the best you could," Cody shrugged, "besides, we didn't really know what we were up against, did we?"

"I guess," Duncan shrugged, "I'll try to be a better leader next time."

"Please don't," Sunny said, "I really don't want to end up here again. This is so BORING."

"You're telling me," Lucky sighed, 'Lance better hurry the hell up and win this thing already."

~o.0.o~

Lance led his team through the building, until at last the reached the entrance to the top floor.

"Alright everyone," Lance said, "this is it."

Lance looked at Tyler, who nodded.

"On three," Lance said, "one, two..."

Tyler kicked open the door, and everyone swarmed in. They were startled, however, to find Sergeant Overbeck standing in the middle of an empty room, a smile on his face.

"Good to see you finally got here," he said, "I managed to sneak ahead and mop up the rest of these S.O.B.'s. You did good- good enough to be the last team standing!"

"Wait, you mean the Ronin were wiped out?" Tyler asked.

"The RONIN?" Overbeck asked, "You get hit on the head or somethin', boy? I'm talking about The Damned 33rd. The grunts that were supposed to be offering you your back-up. Either way, your mission is now complete."

"So, what happens now?" Tyler asked.

"Now?" Overbeck asked, "Now we get back to base, and you can all go home."

The Legion cheered, happy at their apparent victory.

"Okay," Overbeck smiled, "Let's go- first round is on me!"

Everything turned white, and suddenly the Legion found themselves in a large military tent. Overbeck was talking to another soldier, a grave expression on his face.

"I'm afraid I've got some bad news," Overbeck sighed, "it turns out that the 33rd survived Dubai."

"How is that bad news?" Lance asked.

"Well," Overbeck sighed, "...they've gone rouge. We've gotten word that they've holed up in Alaska with the damn Reds- you've been tasked with tracking down and neutralizing them."

"Of course," Vevo sighed, "we should've known the challenge would be longer."

"Oh, and one other thing," Overbeck added, "your friends in the infirmary have made a full recovery- they'll be able to join you in your next assignment."

"Friends in the infirmary?" Lance frowned, "I don't-"

All of a sudden, Lucky, Miri, and Sunny and the others appeared in mid-air and fell to the ground.

"Owww," Miri groaned.

"That's one way to make an entrance," Sunny groaned.

"What's goin' on?" Lucky asked, "Where are we?"

"You're safe, soldier," Overbeck announced, "that's all that matters. Now, report to the hanger immediately- we're setting off for Alaska at once. Get ready for Operation: Cat's Cradle!"

~o.0.o~

The Legion weren't the only ones to find themselves in unfamiliar territory. The Ronin now found themselves in a bunker that was empty save for a few crates and tables.

"Ugh... where are we?" Harold groaned.

"It looks like a bunker of some sort," Courtney frowned.

"Must be another part of the simulation," Cody guessed.

"Well then what are we supposed to be doing?" Eva asked, "I don't think we're just gonna be sitting around doing-"

"Attention all soldiers," a voice announced, "enemies inbound, ETA twenty minutes. Intelligence suggests they'll be setting up camp in an outpost north of here. You need to fortify our position here, and attempt to take control of that outpost. The enemy is NOT to assume control of this facility under any circumstance. You wil find everything you need to defend our base in those crates around the room. End transmission."

"Someone help me open up these crates," Alejandro instructed.

DJ and Duncan rushed over, and a few minutes later, the contents of each crate was spilled out on the floor.

"Okay," Cody announced, "looks like we've got guns, and guns, and guns, and... some more guns."

"Sweet!" Harold exclaimed, "I found a baggie of rubber bands! AWESOME!"

"Well, that's something," Gwen sighed, "anyone have any ideas?"

"Think think think," Cody frowned, "hm, what would Izzy do?... Nevermind, bad idea. Why don't we just do what we did last time? Split into two groups, one for offense, one for defense."

"Aright," Duncan agreed, "Alejandro, Cody, Eva, Ricardo, Bridgette, and Gwen, you guys go after the enemy's base. Everyone else stay here with me."

"Do you think we're up against the Legion?" DJ asked, "I haven't seen them around."

"It would make sense," Duncan shrugged, "either way, we can't sit around here and let them make the first move."

"Everyone grab a gun and let's go!" Eva snapped, "I'm tired of standing around all day!"

"Okay," Alejandro agreed, "just give everyone a minute to-"

All of a sudden, Lindsay let out a shriek.

"AHHHHHHH! GET HER AWAY!" the blonde screamed, pointing across the room, "DON'T LET HER TOUCH ME! DON'T LET HER!"

Lindsay snatched a rifle from out of the pie, and began to point it in front of her.

"Lindsay?" Gwen asked, "What's wrong?"

"No, NO! KEEP AWAY!" the blonde shrieked.

"Calm down, and tell me what's wrong," Gwen said softly, "there's no need to-"

Lindsay let out a blood-curdling scream, and suddenly vanished.

~o.0.o~

Chris was sitting in the bunker, reading the newspaper silently when an alarm sounded and lights began to flicker.

"What the-" Chris started.

Lindsay's helmet popped off, and the girl slumped to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Oh crap!" Chris exclaimed, "What's going on?"

Chris looked at Lindsay, let out a groan, and began to terminate the simulation. However, as he was about to do so, VIA's voice came over the speaker's.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," VIA said, "there were... complications. Disconnecting NOW would be... fatal for the participants."

"What the hell happened to Lindsay?" Chris demanded.

"Oh, her," VIA said, "well, like I said, there were complications. Oops."

For a moment, Chris could have sworn he heard VIA snicker.

"So what am I suppose to do?" Chris asked.

"Let them finish the simulation," VIA said, "as for the girl, I recommend several months of intensive therapy. Or maybe a hug."

"Damn it," Chris groaned, "damn it, DAMN IT!"

Chris attempted to help Lindsay up, but she was still blubbering incoherently.

"Come on, get up, we're gonna get you out of here," Chris snapped.

"Yes," VIA stated, "you do that."

~o.0.o~

Back in the simulation, the Ronin were still trying to figure out what had happened to Lindsay.

"Where the hell did she go?" Eva demanded.

"Do I look like I know?" Bridgette snapped, "She just disappeared!"

"Come now, we shouldn't panic," Alejandro advised, "this is surely just a part of the simulation."

While the others argued, Gwen realized she was seeing something out of the corner of her eye. She turned around, and saw for a split second what looked like a little girl. Whatever it was immediately vanished, and Gwen closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Gwen?" Cody asked, "Something wrong?"

"What? No, no. I just thought I saw... someone," Gwen sighed.

"Who?"

"I don't know," Gwen shrugged, "I guess I must have just imagined it."

"So what are we supposed to do now?" Courtney asked.

"We keep going," Alejandro shrugged, "we don't have any other choice."

~o.0.o~

At this point, the Legion had arrived at their base, and were arming themselves with the weapons we could find.

"Veronica, your strategy seemed to pay off in the last round," Lance said, "any suggestions?"

"Well, we're supposed to tke over the enemy fort, right?" Veronica said.

"Right," Lance nodded, "so we have one group wait here, and the other goes to attack-"

"No no no," Veronica said, "that's probably what the other team is doing, and definitely what they would expect. We'll divide into two groups, like you said- however, while one of them WILL stay here, the other will hide nearby and wait for the Ronin to show up. Once they do, each of our groups will launch an attack from their respective sides, effectively flanking them. Once their assault group is taken care of, we regroup, and the majority of us can move in for the final strike."

"Wow," Quinn said, "that plan kicks a surprising amount of ass. I'm in."

"Yeah, just one problem," Johnny said, "what if they DON'T send out an attack party?"

"I'm pretty sure they will," Veronica shrugged.

"Alright," Johnny shrugged, "why not?"

"Okay, I'l stay here with the first group," Lance said, "Veronica, since it's your plan, why don't you lead the second?"

"Uh, okay," Veronica gulped, "I guess I can try."

"Why don't you take Sunny, Lucky, Quinn and Miri with you?" Lance suggested, "The rest of us will wait here."

"Works for me," Veronica shrugged, "c'mon, guys, let's go!"

A few minutes later, Veronica and her group were fighting their way across a snowy mountain.

"See those boulders to the east?" Miri called out, "Do you think they would make a good hiding place?"

"Worth a shot," Veronica shrugged, "let's go."

The group made their way up, and began to set-up their equipment behind cover.

"I'm good with a rife," Quinn shrugged, "so I'll set up here and snipe from afar while you guys attack."

"Fair enough," Lucky shrugged, "Miri, could you hand me my pistols? I set them down over there."

"Sure thing," she smiled, "just let me- whoops!"

Miri accidentally dropped one of the pistols, and upon hitting the ground, it discharged. The bullet flew straight into Lucky's leg, and he let out a howl of pain.

"Son of a BITCH!" Lucky shouted.

"SORRY!" Miri cried, "I'm so, SO SORRY!"

"Oh my god, are you alright?" Sunny asked.

"Y'know," Lucky grimaced, "I know this is only a simulation and all, but this is still the second most painful thing I've ever experienced in my life."

"What's the first?" Quinn asked.

Everyone shot Quinn a disapproving look, and the girl just shrugged.

"What? I was curious," Quinn muttered.

"Stay still," Sunny said, "I think I have bandages in one of my- here we are!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it!" Miri gulped, "It just slipped and-"

"It's... fine," Lucky hissed.

"Don't worry," Sunny smiled, "'tis only a flesh wound. Now stop squirming while I patch you up."

"Sorry," Lucky sighed, "getting shot isn't something I'm really used to, you know- OW!"

"Pansy," Quinn muttered under her breath.

"You know," Lucky commented, "you aren't half-bad at this medical stuff, Sunny. Where'd you learn it?"

"Funny you should ask," Sunny said, "I didn't learn it anywhere. I just stitched a little smiley face over the wound and threw a bandage on top of everything!"

At this, Lucky looked alarmed, and Sunny chuckled a bit.

"Relax," she said, "I'm only kidding. My moms wants me to be a nurse, so she signed me up for a bunch of courses on first-aid and all that. I didn't really enjoy it, but I guess it's payed off now and then."

"No kiddin'," Lucky nodded, "thanks for that."

"Hey, look alive!" Quinn snapped, "Those Ronin clowns are headed towards our base. Let's let 'em pass, then when the rest of our team opens fire, we'll attack."

~o.0.o~

The Ronin reached the Legion's fort, and they got ready for an assault.

"Okay," Alejandro started, "everyone on me-"

Before Alejandro could give an order, a few members of the Legion peered out of windows, and began to fire at the Ronin. By the time the Ronin had drawn their weapons, Veronica and the others brought up their assault from the back.

"Damn it, they surrounded us!" Bridgette shouted.

"Everyone scatter!" Alejandro shouted.

While the remaining members of the Ronin scrambled to get away, a panicked Cody actually ran straight into the Legion's bunker.

"Okay," Cody groaned, "need to... gather my thoughts..."

Cody dropped his gun to the floor, and let out a sigh.

"Well, look what we have here," a voice said.

Cody looked, and saw Vevo standing next to him. Cody reached for his gun, but Vevo quickly stomped on his fingers. Vevo then brought his leg, back, and planted a kick in Cody's side.

"You know, I like this challenge," Vevo smirked, "fun. Therapeutic, almost."

Cody strugged to get his hand out from under Vevo's boot, but the teen just smirked, and stepped down harder.

_"Soul, I hear you calling, oh baby pleaseeeeee, give a little respect to me_!" Vevo sang, panting another kick in Cody's side, "_And if I should falter_-"

"HEY!" a voice called out.

Vevo turned around, and saw Gwen standing behind him. Gwen punched him straight in the face, and Vevo fell straight on his back. Before he could get up, Gwen drew her gun, and shot him in the heart. Vevo opened his mouth to shout something, but disappeared first.

"You alright?" Gwen asked, helping Cody up.

"Yeah," he groaned, "he caught me off guard. I shouda' been paying more attention."

"It's alright, don't worry," Gwen assured him, "pfft. Freaking psycho. Let's get out of-"

"Sorry ma'am," a voice said, "can't let you do that."

A shot rang out, and Cody was gone. Gwen spun around just in time to see Johnny cock his rifle. One more shot was fired, and Gwen had also vanished.

~o.0.o~

A few minutes later, and all members of the Legion- minus Vevo, of course- were gathered outside of the base.

"Okay," Johnny said, "looks like most of us made it. Good thing they sent half of their men after us- if we swoop in now, we can take 'em all out."

"No," Veronica said, "one or two of you should stay behind, just in case."

"Then it should be me and Lance," Johnny suggested, "I can pick off any attackers at long range, and Lance isn't too bad with a rifle either."

"Alright," Quinn nodded, "everyone else, let's go."

~o.0.o~

The rest of the Legion were sitting around the base, trying to set up traps.

"Okay," Duncan sighed, "they'll probably be here soon- how are the traps coming?"

"Well," Courtney frowned, "I have a trip wire."

"NICE!"

"Made of rubber bands."

"Of course."

"Don't worry," Harold smiled, "in case of an attack, we can surely repel them with our skills-"

At that exact moment, the Legion broke in to the fort, and began firing away. The Ronin were able to take out Miri and Sunny, but in the end were quickly overwhelmed.

"WE DID IT!" Veronica cheered.

"Finally," Tyler smiled, "do you think we can go home-"

At that moment Sergeant Overbeck appeared once more.

"Good work, soldiers," he said, "you managed to root out and destroy those traitors! And now, you have one test left."

"What is it?" Veronica asked.

"You need to prove you have one of the most valuable traits of any soldier," Overbeck said, "one of the most important virtues there is: loyalty."

With that, Overbeck handed Veronica a pistol.

"Prove you're loyal," he growled, "kill one of your squad mates. Show me you can be all you can be."

"WHAT?" Veronica exclaimed, "I'm not-"

"What's the big deal?" Lucky asked, "Hell, shoot me. Not like this is going to matter when we get back."

"You heard him," Overbeck nodded, "it doesn't matter. If you feel the same way, look him in the eyes and pull the trigger."

"What kind of simulation IS this?" Tyler asked.

"Don't pull the trigger," Aria advised, "now is the time to show loyalty, but not to her."

"No one is leaving this room until someone is dead, understood?" Overbeck demanded, "You have ten seconds or I'll-"

A shot rang out, cutting off Overbeck's speech. The man took two steps back, and looked down at his chest, where the bullet had penetrated.

"well... done," he whispered, before turning to static.

Then, for the final time, the room when white.

~o.0.o~

The campers opened their eyes, and found themselves back in the real world.

"Ugh... I don't feel so good," Courtney groaned.

"Yep," Chris said, "probably a side effect from the simulation. A sort of... motion sickness or something, I don't know."

The campers turned, and saw Chris standing by the staircase, looking a little worried.

"So, what? Did we win?" Tyler asked.

"Yes, the Legion won," Chris nodded, "but there is no elimination ceremony tonight."

"WHAT?" Quinn demanded, "Why not? We won-"

"Lindsay... suffered some of the more extreme side effects," Chris said nervously.

"You mean that thing that happened inside the simulation?" Gwen asked.

"What?" Chris asked, "Yeah, um, sure. As a result, she decided to take a medical leave of absence, and has been eliminated from the game."

"What's wrong with her?" Gwen asked.

"Stuff and things," Chris murmured nervously, "anywho, the LEGION WINS! YAYYY! Now how about you go back to your cabins and get up to your... whatever it is you guys do when not working on challenges and stuff."

The campers shrugged, and left the bunker.

On the surface, everyone began to head back to the cabins.

"Man, that was great!" Veronica cheered, "I feel like John Marston!"

The Legion talked among themselves, excited for their victory. Most of the Ronin, however, were still suspicious of Lindsay's elimination- Gwen especially. She looked incredibly depressed, and Cody walked over to her, a concerned look on his face.

"Hey," he said, "you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Gwen sighed, "It's just... what do you think happened to Lindsay back there?"

"I don't know," Cody shrugged, "must have been a glitch or something.

"No," Gwen said, "no. Something weird is going on here, and I'm going to find out what."


	8. The Color Out of Space Pt 1

(A/N: Well, been a while since my last author's note. I just wanted to announce a couple of things before letting you get to the chapter. First off, this episode is less focused on the challenge, and more on the events leading up to the next episode. Yes, another two-parter. So, yes, be prepared for a cliffhanger. These two episodes are going to be a bit more on the comedic side, while having a bit of fan-service before the story takes a turn for the dark. Speaking of- I'm a bit curious to see if anyone has found the hidden message yet. Anyway, The last two announcements are regarding my profile. The first is that I'm going to put up a PURELY HYPOTHETICAL poll- again, hypothetical- about which characters you would enjoy seeing compete again this season. The last is that I'm now putting a database for this series up on my 's going to contain little factoids about the characters competing on the show- and some who haven't- as well as my opinions on each. So, for those who are interested, check it out. As of writing this, however, it's a work in progress, so check back now and then. Well, that's it for now- hope you enjoy the next few episodes!)

**3:39 AM**: **Somewhere in Northern California, Crash Site**

Onlookers gathered around to stare at the wreckage before them. Roughly an hour earlier, an unrecognizable shape had crashed into the ground, waking up the inhabitants of nearby houses. There was still too much smoke to see what it was in front of them, but that didn't stop onlookers from making guesses.

"Probably a UFO," a woman stammered, "THINK ABOUT IT! It's a visitor, it has to be-"

"Relax, lady," a man said, "it's probably just a-"

The man stopped talking, however, when a figure emerged from the wreck.

"What in the hell-" the man gasped.

"Your clothes..." the figure hissed, "give them to me. NOW."

"Are you hurt?" the man asked, "Should I call an-"

The figure grabbed the man by his collar, and pulled him forward.

"Hey!" he cried, "What are you doing?"

The figure delivered a hard punch to the man's face, rendering him unconscious. The figure began to drag him away, but stopped to glare at the surrounding crowd. Everyone stood in total silence until a young man let out a shriek, and took off running- everyone else following suit shortly after. The figure chuckled, and went back to their work.

**7:03 AM: Specter Islands**

"I'm telling you Ricardo," Vevo sighed, "this is PERFECT. You being on the other team is a great chance for you to spy- we're killing two birds with one stone."

"Ricardo is beginning to grow weary of your plans," Ricardo sighed.

"Just listen," Vevo said, "you can send me reports about the people on your team, and in the meantime we can still work on the original plan."

"No," Ricardo said.

"Excuse me?" Vevo asked.

"Keep your voice down!" Ricardo snapped, looking around nervously.

The two were sitting outside the boy's cabin. Vevo had insisted upon the location, so as to not look TOO suspicious.

"Ricardo said no," Ricardo huffed, "Ricardo was foolish to think your plans could work to begin with."

Ricardo began to walk away, but Vevo grabbed him by the throat, and shoved him up against the wall.

"Let go-" Ricardo began.

"Oh, sure," Vevo hissed, loosening his grip, "just remember what I told you when we first met. You're a loose end, now. I don't leave loose ends."

Vevo shoved Ricardo away, and then stormed off.

"Lunatic," Ricardo muttered to himself.

~o.0.o~

Cody and Gwen were sitting near the water, deep in thought.

"I just don't understand it," Gwen murmured, "what could have happened to Lindsay?"

"Try not to think too much on it," Cody frowned, "something probably went wrong with the programming, like Chris said."

"And now we're just suddenly going to take Chris' word on everything?" Gwen demanded.

"What?" Cody stammered, "Well, no! I just meant that.. that-"

"I'm sorry," Gwen sighed, "I shouldn't have snapped. But you hsould know that you can trust him."

"Either way, there isn't much you can do about it," Cody shrugged, "unless Lindsay comes back, I don't think we'll ever know."

"I guess," Gwen muttered, "I just... I don't know."

"Are you okay?" Cody asked, "You seem a little down lately. I mean, not even lately, just... for a while I guess."

"I'm fine," Gwen sighed, "I've learned to manage it, I think."

"Manage what?" Cody.

"Crap, did I say that?" Gwen asked, "Nevermind, it's not a bid deal-"

"Gwen, we're friends," Cody said, "you can tell me if you want."

"I know," Gwen sighed, "it's just... okay, look, I... I..."

"Gwen?" Cody asked.

Gwen said nothing in response, instead cocking her head to look over Cody's shoulder. Cody raised an eyebrow, and spun around.

"What?" he asked, "You see something?"

"Do you NOT?" Gwen asked, "The guy in the bunny costume!"

Cody looked down the beach- no one was in sight.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, "I don't see anyone-"

In response, Gwen got up, and began to walk along the beach.

"Where are you- GWEN!" Cody called, going after her.

"He just... ran off," Gwen said, "come on, I'm going after him!"

**8:16 AM: Somewhere in Northern California, Crash Site **

Various officials were swarming the crash site, interrogating witnesses, taking photos, and filling out reports. The process continued uninterrupted for some time until a jet black car pulled up, and a young, red-headed woman stepped out, followed byh several federal agents

"Alright, what's goin' on here?" Izzy shouted, "Where's Johnson, he fill out the report yet? I'm going to need to see the witness accounts and-"

"Ma'am?" one of the agents said, "Johnson is in the hospital, remember? You broke both of his legs last Tuesday."

"Oh, right!" Izzy laughed, "Well, he should have known better than to try and touch my dino nuggets!"

"Yes, ma'am," the agent sighed, "anyway, here's the report."

"Thanks, Agent Walker," Izzy smiled, "let me see here... hmm..."

Izzy tossed the report over her shoulder, and walked over to the wreckage, examining it closely.

"Hmmm," Izzy frowned, "uh-oh."

"Something wrong, miss?" Agent Walker asked.

"Yeah," Izzy frowned, "the ship's burnt pretty badly, but I've seen something like this before."

"Where?"

"Hard to say," Izzy shrugged, "probably Cairo or 'nam. Then again it could have easily been Berlin. Hey, did I ever tell you guys about Berlin? There was a crazy Chef there who-"

"Ma'am, the matter at hand seems a little more important," Walker said.

"Fair point," Izzy smiled, "anyway I- no, wait a second! I know EXACTLY where this is-"

"Agents!" a man shouted, rushing over to Izzy, "I just got a call from HQ, you're gonna want to hear this!"

**8:30 AM: Specter Islands**

"Gwen, I'm telling you, this is a bad idea," Cody groaned.

Gwen paid her companion no attention, and continued to speed across the beach.

"We're getting closer," Gwen muttered, "I can feel it."

"Okay, say you did see something," Cody frowned, "it was probably just someone screwing around. I mean, something like that has Chris written all over it."

Gwen shook her head, and increased her speed.

"Here!" she said suddenly, "Tracks! You see these, right?"

Gwen pointed to the ground, and Cody shook his head slowly.

"They lead into the wilds, come on!"

"Gwen, I really don't think we should be-" Cody started.

Again, Gwen ignored him, and charged off. Moments later, they found themselves in the wilds, maneuvering around various trees and bushes. A loud screech was heard from the sky, and Cody looked up to see a huge bird circling overhead.

"Uh, Gwen?" Cody gulped, "I really think we should be leaving, soon. I- Gwen?"

Cody realized Gwen was no longer with him.

"Gwen?" he called out, "GWEN!"

Cody began to mover forward, when the forest suddenly got... darker. Cody looked up, and saw the sun was still brightly shining. So why was the forest so shadowy?

"Gwen? Cody called once more, "Where are you?"

Cody let out a whimper as the shadows seemed to get closer.

Cody backed up, only to trip over a tree root and smash his head on the ground below. He let out a groan and rubbed his head. Then, it happened. Cody felt someone else's presence beside him. Hoping it was Gwen, Cody opened his eyes- only to find out he had been dead wrong.

Standing over him was a figure in a bunny costume. Cody opened his mouth to speak, but only made a sort of choking sound. The figure leaned in, and-

~o.0.o~

"The scream came from over there," Johnny said, pointing directly ahead of him, "I'm sure of it."

"Hope no one's hurt," Sunny frowned.

"Y'know, I wasn't fond of these little hunting excursions to begin with," Lucky sighed.

"Neither am I," Lance shrugged, "but it puts food on the table, so to speak. And if someone's hurt, we gotta let Chris know."

The four made their way through the wilds, until at last they came to a clearing.

"About here," Johnny nodded, "look around in the immediate area, but don't go too far. Stay within shouting distance, understood?"

"Yeah," Lance nodded, "c'mon guys, let's go."

"So, Johnny," Lucky started, "who taught you all this stuff? I mean, the hunting and tracking and everything? Your father?"

"Sister, actually," Johnny explained, "taught me everything I know today. Once I turned eight, she began teaching me about plants and berries. What's safe to eat, that sort of thing. She also taught me how to use a rifle, and took me to get my hunting license. She's... sort of the reason I'm here, actually."

"I'm a little jealous," Lucky sighed.

"Why's that?" Johnny asked.

"When I was eight, the first thing my dad taught me was how to clean blood out of a suit," Lucky muttered, "then it was on to hustling poker."

"Wait a second," Lance snapped, "is that how you keep beating everyone at cards all the time?"

"...No."

"Guys!" Sunny called, "Found something!"

Everyone rushed over to Sunny, and the girl gestured to the ground in front of her. On the ground lay a bouquet of decaying flowers.

"Charming," Sunny smiled.

Johnny shook his head, and sighed.

"The hell is going on here?" he asked.

"The past is attempting to resurface," a voice answered.

The four spun around, and saw Aria absently examining a tree.

"Where the hell did YOU come from?" Lance asked.

Aria walked past everyone, picked up the bouquet of flowers, and smelled them.

"The island is beginning to wake up," Aria announced.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sunny asked.

"Have you been having strange dreams lately?" Aria asked, "Have you seen the Red Room?"

"Okay, listen lady," Lucky snapped, "You're starting to-"

Aria glared at Lucky, whose speech faltered.

"The... red room?" Lance asked, "I don't-"

"The emptiness is quite relaxing," Aria said, not taking her eyes off Lucky, "and I promise at least one of you will become very familiar with feeling empty."

After standing there a little longer, Aria eventually turned and left.

"What the HELL was that?" Sunny demanded.

"I... I..." Lucky stammered, "what... what the hell were we doing?"

**10:32 AM: Southern Oregon, Rest Stop**

Izzy and Agent Walker were talking to the owner of a rest station about a possible lead. He had reported a strange visitor that had appeared earlier in the morning, asked a few questions, stole several items and took off.

"So what did you say this visitor looked like?" Izzy asked.

"Couldn't get a good look," the owner shrugged, "big fella, wore a trench-coat and hood."

"...And you didn't find anything suspicious about that?" Walker asked.

"Look, we ain't exactly rollin' in it, here," the owner snapped, "I can't afford to get picky."

"Seriously, Walker," Izzy scoffed, "I don't know how you live with yourself. Anyway, what were you saying about the visitor?"

"Well, they came in, asked a few questions about the area," the owner recalled, "then, they started to take a bunch of magazines from the rack over there. When I tried to stop them, they shoved me back, and ran off."

"Do oyu remember what they were asking about?" Izzy asked.

"Not a whole lot," the owner shrugged, "most of it was nonsense, but I did catch one or two things. He wanted to find... damn it, what was it? Craig- no! Chris! Chris McLean! They said they needed to find Chris McLean!"

~o.0.o~

Izzy and Walker exited the rest stop, a look of annoyance on the redhead's face.

"You alright, boss?" Walker asked.

"Yeah," Izzy muttered, "It's just... I think I know who we're dealing with. We need to keep chasing leads and catch them before it's too-"

At that moment, a voice came over Walker's radio.

"We've got a report coming in straight from HQ," the voice announced, "there's a lot of panic at the airport up in Portland. Apparently some nut tried to board a plane to England. Security was able to chase them off, but it might be the nut you're looking for."

"C'mon, Walker!" Izzy called out, "Let's MOVE!"

**1:00 PM: Specter Islands**

"Okay, campers!" Chris announced, "It's time for today's challenge!"

The contestants were all gathered outside the cabins- with the exception of Cody and Gwen, which worried several of the competitors.

"Uh, Chris?" Courtney frowned, "Cody and Gwen are missing- shouldn't we wait until they get back, or go looking for them?"

"Well, if YOU want to, by all means," Chris shrugged, "I, however, have a show to run, and therefore no time. After the challenge I'll help you guys search, but we need the footage right now."

"Wow, are you really going to help?" Courtney asked.

"Nope."

"Yeah," Courtney sighed, "guess I should have seen that one coming."

"Anyway, today I decided to go with a rather standard challenge," Chris explained, "an obstacle course! With fire, bears, spike pits, hornet nests, gorillas, and Rodents of Unusual Size to name a few things."

"Rodents of- oh, c'mon, Chris," Veronica smiled, "I don't think those actually exist."

"Believe what you want," Chris said, "but follow me over to the starting line, and we'll begin the challenge. Now, the rules are simple- the first person to make it to the finish line wins for their team. In case someone dies. If that should happen, then the deceased's team scores an automatic victory. Well, let's get going!"

**5:30 PM: Outskirts of Chicago**

A lone figure strode towards Chicago, eager to get to their destination. Soon, they would be on a plane to England- and they would get their revenge.

"So, good job giving us the slip so far," a voice said, "clever, stowing away on a plane to get here. But we figured it out soon enough."

The figure turned, and saw Izzy standing behind them.

"You," the figure hissed.

"Nice to see you too, Sadie!" Izzy cheered, "So, how was space?"

Sadie pulled back her hood, revealing nearly rock-like skin. He hair had fallen out, and her teeth were sharpened.

"I lost two years because of you guys," Sadie hissed, "all I want is Chris."

"And I want a paycheck!" Izzy smiled, "Aaaaaaand it's sorta my job to bring you in, so- hey, wait a minute, how'd you survive all that time? I definitley didn't put any food on the ship, so-"

"I slept for so long," Sadie hissed, "I don't know what happened. One day I just sort of shut my eyes. When I woke up, I looked like... THIS. I didn't need food. Didn't need water. Something must have changed me up there, something must have gotten in the ship and mutated me."

"I don't know," Izzy frowned, "I think it's an improvement!"

"After a long time, I eventually drifted back to Earth," Sadie explained, "as you probably figured out, I spent my day today figuring out where Chris was. Lucky for me, he started up a new season of MY show. So, I'm going to England to take what's mine."

"Sorry, but I can't really let you do that," Izzy shrugged, "like I said, sort of my job to-"

Sadie lunged forward, attacking Izzy. The two struggled for a while, but Izzy found herself unable to harm the newly mutated Sadie. Sadie was finally able to strike Izzy in the head, knocking her unconscious, and then run off.

"Soon, Chris," Sadie hissed, "soon."

**5:45 PM: Specter Islands**

"And it looks like after a long and grueling challenge, the LEGION was able to pull out another victory!" Chris announced.

Lucky, who was the first to cross the finish line, fell to the ground. He was completely exhausted, not to mention covered in cuts and bruises. Behind him was Alejandro, who WOULD have one, if not for the interference of a pack of coyotes- which were now chasing him around the beach. Eva was on fire, and was running around screaming. Lance and Duncan were battling with a gorilla, and Courtney was trying to pull herself out of a pit.

"I think that went well, don't you guys?" Chris smirked.

"I... hate you," Lucky hissed.

"Aww, I love you guys too!" Chris chuckled, "Well, I'll let you guys get cleaned up- Ronin, meet me in an hour for your elimination ceremony!"

An hour later, the Ronin were all gathered around Chris' stage, awaiting the results of the vote.

"Okay," Chris said, "let's skip the speech and start handings out marshmallows. Neither Gwen and Cody are here, but neither have votes against them, so... they're safe for now."

"What?" Eva whined, "That has to be against SOME sort of rule!"

"They're two of the fan-favorites," Chris shrugged, "therefore they get a little lenience. Anywho, also getting marshmallow's tonight are...

Duncan.

Courtney.

DJ.

Alejandro.

Bridgette.

Harold, and...

Eva.

Ezekiel and Ricardo, that just leaves you. And the final marshmallow goes to...

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"...Ezekiel!"

"WHAT?" Ricardo exclaimed, "How could you just vote off Ricardo like that? Ricardo demands a recount, and-"

"Ricardo's going to get a boot to the head if he doesn't shut the hell up," Chris snapped, "Ricardo, the boat is over there. See ya later, loser!"

Ricardo walked off, grumbling to himself.

"Well, go get some rest," Chris smiled, "I've got a surprise for you guys tomorrow!"

~o.0.o~

Vevo was waiting alongside the beach, until he was approached by Eva and Ezekiel.

"I heard Ricardo got the boot," Vevo smirked, "nice one."

"Oh, it was easy," Eva said, "no one really liked him, anyway."

"Besides," Vevo smirked, "I trust you two will make for a more beneficial partnership."

"This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship," Ezekiel smiled.

"SHUT UP, EZEKIEL!" Eva and Vevo shouted at the same time.

"Now, let's get out of here," Vevo said, "I've got a plan I think you're going to like..."

~o.0.o~

"Ugh... what happened?" Gwen groaned.

Gwen had awoken only to find herself in a dark cave.

"Hello?" she called, "Anyone-"

"Gwen?" Cody answered, "GWEN!"

Gwen turned, and saw Cody was sitting across the room from her.

"Cody, where-" Gwen began.

Gwen was cut off when she heard a voice begin to sing.

_"Well he got out of jail on Sunday night,_

_Monday he tightened his grip,_

_He started to China to see the sites,_

_Went nuts again and chopped up the ship._

_Brought old Pete back to town,_

_to electrocute him there,_

_but Pete was crazy like a clown,_

_He chopped down that electric chair."_

Cody and Gwen watched as a figure entered the room- and then everything turned pitch black.

**2:34 AM: North Sea **

Sadie watched from her boat as Specter Island came into view. A grin on her face, she adjusted her sails, and looked again towards the horizon.

****"Finally," she smiled, "after all this time..."


	9. The Color Out of Space Pt 2

(A/N: Sorry this update took so long. I've been having computer issues... Again. This time, however, I decided to do something different and attempt to use my smartphone. So, please let me know how this chapter came out int terms of layout and typos, because there's a chance I may have to do this again in the future.)

It was early morning, and Chris was making breakfast in his lodge.

"This'll show Milton," he muttered, "today will bring in the ratings for sure! Then he'll be begging me to sign on for another season, and I'll say-"

Chris was interrupted by the sound of a window shattering.

"Uhhhhhh... VIA?" Chris called out.

There was no answer, and Chris craned his neck to get a better view outside of his kitchen.

"Hello?" he asked, "Whoever's in here better have a damn good reason for... for..."

Chris stopped talking when he saw who was in his cabin.

"S...Sadie?" he gulped.

In response, Sadie just grinned, and lunged across the room. Chris was quickly pinned to the ground, despite his best efforts to get away.

"Oh god!" he shouted, "Don't kill me! I'm too pretty to be stuffed in a box!"

"Kill you?" Sadie grinned, "No, not yet. I've got a LOT planned for today-"

"Today?" Chris groaned, "Why today? Can't it be after the next challenge? That works better!"

"NO, it can't wait until after the next challenge!" Sadie shouted, "You know why? Because I've got my OWN set of challenges planned for today! And they've got an even lower survival rate than YOURS."

~o.0.o~

"I don't get it," Josh frowned, "Chris SAID he'd be here."

"Chris says lot's of stuff," Noah sighed, "he's probably off getting wasted somewhere. Frankly, I'm just surprised any of us agreed to come back here, even if it WAS just for a few days."

Noah, Josh, and Justin were standing on the beach, waiting impatiently for Chris to arrive.

"I needed to come," Justin sighed, "my agent said it would be a good way to promote my new movie."

"Oh god, THAT'S why you're here?" Noah asked, "Justin, I'm sorry, but you can't act worth a damn."

"Yeah," Justin nodded, "but people don't really seem to care about acting these days. Just explosions."

"Fair point," Noah agreed, "but still, I thought the three of us agreed not to come back-"

"I didn't have a choice," Josh sighed, "my boss ASSIGNED me here. It's a bit of a running joke with him to assign me the worst stories he can find."

"So you're just here to report?" Justin asked.

"Yup," Josh nodded, "I just jot down a few quotes, take some pictures, and go home tomorrow."

"Lucky," Noah sighed, "Justin and I have to stay here for a few days before we can collect OUR paychecks."

"You're not competing again, are you?" Josh asked.

"Nope," Justin sighed, "we're just here for a special appearance. We have to coach the teams through a challenge, or something like that."

"I thought you both agreed you were done with reality TV," Josh frowned.

"Hey, we have to pay the bills somehow," Justin shrugged, "if that means a cameo or two, so be it."

"You know, Chris sure is taking a while to get here," Josh pointed out.

"Chris is always late," Noah shrugged.

"Fair enough," Josh said, "but it's been like an hour. I'm gonna go check out his lodge."

"Alright," Noah shrugged, "we're gonna go say hi to everyone at the cabins."

"I'll meet you there once I find Chris," Josh said.

"IF you find Chris," Noah frowned, "these maps he gave us are nearly incomprehensible."

"I'm sure it won't be too hard," Josh shrugged, "I just need to find the biggest and nicest building here- that'll be his."

Josh gave his two friends a smile, and went on his way.

~o.0.o~

Cody let out a yawn, and opened his eyes- and was alarmed to find he was in the middle of nowhere.

"Aghhh!" He cried, "This isn't the cabin! How did I get out here?"

"Cody, you're awake!" A voice exclaimed.

Cody turned and saw Gwen rushing over to him.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"Fine," he muttered, "just really, really confused. How did I get out here?"

"you mean you don't remember either?" Gwen asked.

"No," Cody said, "the last thing I remember was getting ready to go to sleep in my cabin!"

"oh man," Gwen said, "this is bad. How the hell did we-"

"Look, we can figure this out later!" Cody exclaimed, "right now we need to get back to camp!"

"Right," Gwen muttered, "wherever that is."

~o.0.o~

After an hour of making his way through the wilds, Josh was relieved when he was finally in sight of Chris' lodge.

"About time," Josh said, "I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever find it."

Josh approached the lodge with a smile on his face; a smile that faltered when he noticed there was a trail leading from Chris' doorstep into the wilds. From loge looks of it, it seemed that someone had dragged something heavy away. Keeping his cool (as easily or an intern could have made the trail while carrying equipment) Josh got closer to the cabin- and realized something had been very, very wrong. The front door was slightly ajar, the powerlines cut, and one of the windows smashed.

"What the hell...?" Josh murmured.

Josh was about to go inside the lodge when he heard the trees begin to rustle. Instincts taking over, Josh quickly leapt into cover. A hulking, deformed figure came out of the woods, panting heavily. Josh squinted his eyes for a closer look, an was taken aback.

"no way," he said, "is that-"

Sadie lurched into Chris' cabin, door slamming behind her. Josh slowly backed away, then turned and ran towards the beach.

~o.0.o~

The contestants were sitting around by the cabins, talking to Noah and Justin.

"It's good to see you guys again," Duncan smiled, "how have you been?"

"Fine," Noah shrugged, "how's Chris been treating you guys this season?"

"Same as always," Duncan shrugged, "though something about him seems a bit off."

"Something's always off with Chris," Noah remarked, "guy's a sociopath."

"So," Justin said, switching topic, "these guys must be the new contestants, right?"

"Uh huh!" Veronica smiled, "My name's Veronica! oh, and this is Sunny, those two over there are Lucky and Lance, and that's Quinn-"

"I think they get the point, sweetie," Sunny smiled, "we can do the introductions later."

"aw," Veronica frowned.

"So, wait a second," Justin said, "you guys didn't already vote off Cody, did you? I wanted to talk to-"

"Uh," DJ frowned, "well, the thing is..."

"What?" Justin asked, "Is he here or isn't he?"

"Oh, they're here," Harold said, "we think."

"You THINK?" Justin demanded, "And who's 'they'?"

"Cody and Gwen," Duncan sighed, "look, we don't know what happened, but they've been gone nearly a day now, and Chris won't help us look for them."

"Then WE'LL help you look for them," Justin said, "c'mon Noah, lets-"

"GUYS!" A voice shouted.

Everyone turned and saw Josh sprinting towards them.

"oh no," Noah frowned, "I think something's wrong."

When Josh reached the competitors, he paused momentarily to catch his breath.

"Guys," he said, "Sadie has Chris!"

For a moment, silence. Then, several of the competitors began laughing.

"Come on, Josh," Noah smirked, "Sadie? There's no possible way it could have been her."

"Maybe not," Josh agreed, "but someone snatched Chris!"

"Then it's part of a challenge or something," Noah shrugged, "no need to get worked up over it."

"It isn't a challenge," Josh insisted, "I can show you Chris' lodge, the place is wrecked! He wouldn't damage his own stuff, even if it WAS for ratings!"

At this, a few campers exchanged nervous glances, but Noah remained unconvinced.

"Alright," Noah shrugged, "then show me. I'll go with you to Chris' cabin and we can't put this to rest. Chris is probably already laughing at us anyway."

"I'll come with you guys," Justin said.

"Me too," Duncan agreed, "just in case something should go wrong."

"Alright, we'll be back in a bit," Josh said, "the rest of you stay here until we confirm its safe."

"Awww," Veronica frowned, "that's no fun."

~o.0.o~

About twenty minutes later, the four boys were outside of Chris' cabin.

"See!" Josh snapped, "Look at this!"

Josh gestures to cut lines and smashed in windows.

"You were serious," Noah said.

"Of course I was! Why would I make this up?" Josh asked.

"I hate to be that guy," Duncan frowned, "but have you gone inside yet?"

Josh shook his head, and the four exchanged worried looks.

"At least one of us needs to go in," Duncan said, "we need to be sure Chris isn't in there."

"Justin and I will go in," Noah offered, "you two stay out here and make sure nothing sneaks up on us."

"Do I have to?" Justin groaned.

"Yes!" Noah snapped.

Justin muttered something under his breath, then followed Noah inside.

"Okay," Duncan started, "we just wait out here until-"

All of a sudden, screaming was heard from lodge, followed by a large crash. Duncan and Josh exchanged a quick glance, and then rushed inside. There, they were greeted by a large hole in the wall of an otherwise empty room.

"What the...?" Duncan gasped.

"We need to get back to camp," Josh said, "come on!"

When the two turned to leave, however, a large figure appeared in the doorway behind them.

"Hello, boys," Sadie grinned.

"Duncan," Josh whispered, "just back away slowly. When I give the signal, run for it."

"What?" Duncan asked, "I'm not going to l-"

"Just do it," Josh instructed, "you need to warn everyone back at camp."

"Fine," Duncan agreed.

"Well, I was hoping to keep my return a surprise," Sadie smiled, "but it looks like that won't happen with you two running around. You'll have to come with me, sorry."

Sadie grinned viciously, and stepped forward. In response, Josh reached down, and grabbed something from his belt. Sadie leapt forward, and a cloud of pepper spray soon hit her full force.

"Go!" Josh shouted, "Stick to the wilds!"

Duncan nodded, and ran out of the lodge. Sadie soon recovered from he. Momentary daze, and turned to Josh.

"You're going to suffer for that," she hissed.

~ o.0.o~

Duncan sped away from the cabin, as fast sad he could manage. As Josh instructed, he stuck in the wilds, hoping it would make him even a little harder to detect. Duncan rushed towards camp, and was alarmed to see a figure leap out in front of him.

"Agg!" Duncan shouted, momentarily horrified, "Get away- wait a second, Cody?"

"Duncan?" Cody asked, "What are you-"

"No time to explain, we need to get out of here!" Duncan instructed.

A second later, and Gwen steppe out of the woods and next to Cody.

"Hold on, we need some answers!" Gwen snapped, "We woke up out here an hour ago, and-"

Gwen was interrupted by a loud roar coming from behind the contestants.

"What was that?" Cody gasped.

"Look, none of us at camp know what happened to you guys,"Duncan assured the two, "but we have to move, NOW!"

Duncan ran past the two, although it didn't take long for them to follow.

~o.0.o~

Back at camp, the competitors were lazily awaiting the party's arrival. Veronica, aim particular, was busy with her GameGo6000.

"Whatcha' doing?" Sunny asked, sitting beside her.

"Playing Guitar Champion," Veronica responded.

"What's the point?" Sunny asked, "I can teach you how to play the REAL guitar."

"Yeah, but this is just as good!" Veronica insisted, "see? I've almost mastered 'When the Levee Breaks'! Here, wanna try?"

Sunny hesitantly took the game, and began to scroll through the selection.

"What, no Mötley Crüe?" She asked, looking offended.

She shook her head, and picked a song.

"Okay," she muttered, "lets just... Come on, come on..."

Sunny hit as many notes as she could, but was soon greeted with the game over screen.

"YOU SUCK," the game informed her, "YOU HAVE DISHONORED YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY. GO JUMP OFF A BRIDGE, YOU STUPID MOUTH BREATHER."

Sunny let out a string of profanities.

"This isn't real guitar!" Sunny snapped, "a game like this can't-"

"GUYS!" Duncan shouted, "We've got an emergency!"

Sunny stopped talking, and looked down the beach, where Duncan, Cody and Gwen were. The other campers began to take notice, and gathered around the beach where the three had arrived.

"What's going on?" Courtney asked, worried.

"Something got Chris," Duncan panted, "the others, too- I'm the only one who got away!"

"something got- ohh, you mean like a monster?" Veronica asked, eyes lighting up, "Thats so cool!"

"Yes, a monster!" Duncan nodded, "and what's more, I think it might Sadie!"

The veteran competitors gasped, and looked extremely frightened.

"Duncan, that cannot be," Alejandro reasoned, "she was-"

"Sent to space? Yeah, I know."

Everyone turned and saw Sadie approaching them from the wilds.

"Okay, this is pushing it," Alejandro frowned, "this must be some sort of sick joke."

"Oh, it's no joke," Sadie insisted, "I'm back. And I'm here for all of you."

"Okay, Sadie?" Courtney smiled, "Can't we talk this out? We can just all go our separate ways and-"

"NO!" Sadie shouted "Its too late for that now! All I ever wanted was a fair shot at this show, and look at what you guys did to me! I just wanted to compete! To be someone! And you did THIS!"

"To be fair, that was Izzy's fault," Duncan said.

"Oh, I know," Sadie grinned, Finns one day I'll do to her what she did to me. But for now, I'm going to exact revenge on you, the ones who made my life miserable!"

"Can we go?" Miri asked, "I mean, we never met you, so..."

Sadie grinned at Miri.

"Oh no, stay," Sadie grinned, "I've got a surprise for all of you. As of now, I'm in charge of Camp TV, and I say it's time for a challenge. The winning team will win immunity, the losers sending someone home."

"Are you serious?" Tyler asked.

"Deadly!" Sadie hissed, "so, lets begin, shall we? I call this challenge, 'see how many pounds of pressure the human collarbone can withstand!"

~o.0.o~

Chris, Josh, Noah and Justin were locked away in a cramped room.

"Well this is a fine mess you've all gotten me into to," Chris huffed.

"Excuse me, but how is this OUR fault?" Noah demanded.

"I'll let you know when I figured that out!" Chris snapped, "But first we have to get out of here and into the game room!"

"Game room?" Josh asked.

"Well, equipment storage is the technical term," Chris said, "but I call it that because that's where I keep most of the fun stuff. Guns and explosives and traps, that sort of thing."

"So if we get to that, we can stop Sadie!" Justin smiled.

"Of course, we won't HURT her," Josh said.

"Won't hurt- Josh, she attacked us and locked us up, of COURSE we're going to have to hurt her!" Chris snapped.

"Look, we've done enough damage," Josh said, "can't we just incapacitate her or something?"

"Whatever," Chris grumbled, "you pansy."

"So, any ideas about how to get out of here?" Justin asked.

"None at all," Chris frowned, "I honestly have no idea where we are, and it's too dark to see anything."

In response, Josh pulled a lighter put of his pocket, and flicked it on, illuminating the room slightly.

"Alright," Josh sighed, "it looks like the door is... Oh no."

Josh gestured to the ceiling, where there was a trapdoor above them.

"Directly above us," Noah sighed.

"So, what?" Justin asked, "We supposed to stand on each others shoulders, or something?"

"That looks like the only way so far," Noah nodded, "okay, so Justin, you stand on the bottom, then Josh, then me..."

A few minutes of struggling, and the Noah was able to open the trapdoor, and raise himself out. He was then able to help lift Josh out. With some effort, they managed to reach down and pull the other two out.

"Okay," Noah panted, "Now what?"

"Follow me," Chris said, "we need to get armed if were going to take down Sadie ourselves."

~o.0.o~

Back at camp, the contestants were lying on the ground, bloody and bruised.

"Well," Sadie grinned, "you guys have done alright so far... But now I think its time for the tie breaker."

Sadie smiled, and pulled a nightstick from her coat.

"This challenge," she smirked, "is all about survival. Whoever goes the longest without-"

She was interrupted when a tranquilizer dart flew into her back. Scowling slightly, Sadie yanked it out, and turned around to face Chris and the others.

"Really? She scoffed, "that the best you can do?"

"Uhhh, anyone have a plan B?" Justin asked.

Sadie grinned, and began to lurch towards the four.

"i was hoping to save you guys for last," she smirked, "but, oh well. I promise I'll make this as slow as possible."

Sadie the rushing of footsteps behind her, and she turned to see the contestants rushing off into the wilds.

"Damn it!" She shouted, "When i find you I'll- HEY!"

Chris and the others had also fled into the woods, leaving a fuming Sadie behind. With a snarl, she charged after them.

~o.0.o~

Deep into the wilds, a group of campers were catching their breath.

"You think we lost her?" Harold asked.

"Probably not," Duncan said, "best to keep moving just in case."

"Are you sure it was best for everyone to split up?" Harold asked.

"Yeah," Duncan nodded, "she won't be able to find as many of us this way."

"I hope you're right," Harold frowned.

The two began to hear the trees around them start to rustle. The two slowly began to back away, fearful Sadie was nearby. A figure leapt out in front of them, and the two let out a frightened yell.

"Hiya guys!"

"Izzy?" Duncan exclaimed.

"The one and only!" Izzy smiled.

"What are you doing here?" Harold asked.

"Well, most of that's classified," Izzy laughed, "but the short version is that Sadie-"

"Is back on the island looking to kill most of us?" Duncan finished, "Yeah, we figure that out the hard way."

"Oh," Izzy frowned, "well, that certainly simplifies things! you guys know where she is?"

"No," Duncan said, shaking his head, "whatever happened to her made her incredibly strong. We had to get out of there, so we split up and rushed into the wilds."

"Yeah, she's strong, all right," Izzy muttered, "but that's okay, because i have this!"

With that, Izzy pulled out some sort of taser.

"Uh, is that-" Harold started.

"A taser?" Izzy asked, "Nope! It's something new that we're testing out! See, it launches a volt of energy that can cause the body to completely shut down and enter a state of paralysis. See, watch!"

With that, Izzy fired a blast at Harold, who immediately dropped to the ground.

"Oh, whoops," Izzy chuckled, "anyyyyyway, all I need to do is get close enough to her, and then shot her with this. Then I cuff her, and it's all good!"

"Um, is Harold going to be alright?"

"I dunno, maybe," Izzy shrugged, "now are we going after Sadie or not?"

"Yeah," Duncan smiled, "and I think I know just how we're going to do it."

~o.0.o~

Sadie was walking around the wilds, muttering to herself. She needed to find the contestants, and she needed to find them SOON. She hadn't come this far for nothing. Whatever doubts Sadie had immediately vanished, however, when she saw Harold leaning up against a tree a few yards away. She smiled to herself. Granted, Harold wasn't exactly at the TOP of her hit list, but he would do. Once she got closer, however, something seemed... Wrong. He didn't seem conscious.

"What..." She began, but was stopped when she felt a shockwave hit her full force. Sadie let out a growl, and slumped to the ground.

"We got her!" Izzy cheered.

Sadie growled again, and got to her feet, turning around to face a surprised Izzy.

"Or... maybe we didn't," Izzy frowned.

"You know," Sadie grinned, "I'm glad you're back. I was going to take care of you later, but you being here saves time."

"I'm not a member of the FIB for nothing," Izzy snapped, "bring it on, then!"

Sadie let out a roar, and charged at the redhead. Izzy turned, and delivered a spinning back kick, which only momentarily stunned Sadie. Izzy ran forward, but Sadie grabbed her and threw her into a group of trees. Sadie started toward Izzy, but in response the latter delivered a kick to stomach. Sadie keeled over, and Izzy delivered one more kick to the kneecap. Sadie's knee bent back, and a slight crack was heard. Sadie let out a yell of pain, and Izzy round house kicked her in the head. At last, Sadie fell to the ground, unconscious.

"You okay?" Duncan asked, rushing over to her. A few campers who had been nearby also gathered around.

"Yup! I guess you could say Sadie just got..." Izzy paused to put on sunglasses, "deep-spaced. YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-"

"That doesn't make sense," Courtney frowned.

"it does!" Izzy insisted, "Because she was in space, and I... Oh, nevermind."

~o.0.o~

It was a few hours later, and everyone was on the beach. A few men in black suits were questioning the competitors, and Izzy was smiling proudly.

"So," Chris asked, "what happened to Sadie?"

"Don't worry, we've got top people working on it." Izzy shrugged, "But you should be more worried about the contestants."

"Why?" Chris asked.

"Well, with everything they've seen, they'll probably be locked away and mind wiped so they can't spread what happened here," Izzy explained, "just standard protocol."

"Actually," Chris said, "I think I have a better idea. EVERYONE GET OVER HERE NOW'l

The contestants scurried over to Chris, who smiled.

"Well, congratulations," Chris said, "you finished your surprise challenge!"

"Surprise challenge?" Miri asked.

"Yup," Chris nodded, "and guess what? You all failed! Miserably, in fact! But, since I'm such a nice guy, there won't be any elimination tonight!"

"Nice guy?" Johnny demanded, "A lot of us got hurt during that challenge!"

"Yes," Chris smiled, "I know!"

The campers grumbled to themselves, and began to disperse and head back to the cabins.

"There. Good enough?" Chris asked.

"Good enough," Izzy smiled.


	10. Into the Pit

It was a few hours after Izzy and her crew had cleaned up the mess left over by Sadie, and the commotion had all died down. The campers had gone back to the cabins, and Chris himself was standing on the beach staring off into space.

"So," a voice behind him said, "can we go?"

Chris spun around, and saw Noah, Josh and Justin standing behind him.

"Oh, it's you guys," Chris sighed, "yeah… yeah, whatever. You can leave. I already have enough footage of you guys from what happened here today."

"Thank god," Noah said, "I was worried we'd be forced to stay here."

"Yeah, I'm not keen on spending more time here than I have to," Josh said, "especially since last time you almost-"

"Don't remind me," Noah hissed.

"Look," Chris said, "you better just say your goodbyes to everyone and then get going. I have planning to do."

"Right," Josh said, "we'll be out of your hair in no time, don't worry."

The three made their way to the cabins, where the rest of the campers were already settled in and getting ready to go to sleep. DJ, who was awake and watching the stars, greeted them.

"Hey guys," he said, "what's happening?"

"Just getting ready to leave," Josh explained, "we wanted to say goodbye first."

DJ smiled, and got to his feet.

"Well, it was nice seeing you guys again," DJ said, shaking their hands, "I hope you do well for yourselves."

"You too DJ," Justin smiled.

DJ led the trio into the boy's cabins, and the veterans began to exchange goodbyes. Cody in particular was saddened by the departure.

"You sure you guys can't stay longer?" he asked.

"Yeah, we really need to be getting back," Justin said, "but we'll hang, alright? Give me a buzz when the season's over and we'll meet or something.""

"Alright," Cody shrugged.

"Good luck," Justin smiled, "try to make it to the finals again, okay? Maybe you can win this time."

"I'll do my best," Cody grinned.

"Well, goodbye everyone," Justin said aloud, "it's been nice seeing you all again."

Everyone murmured their goodbyes, and the trio turned to the door, where Alejandro was standing by. Justin opened his mouth to say something, but Al cut him off.

"Getting ready for a lecture, I suppose?" Alejandro asked, "No need. I have thought about it, and I have mended my ways. No manipulation this season."

Justin thought a moment, then said, "You really mean that?"

Alejandro sighed, then held out his hand.

"You have my word," he promised.

Justin glared at Alejandro.

"C'mon, let's just go," Noah said.

Justin looked as if he were about to leave, then finally turned and grasped Alejandro's hand.

"Look," Justin said, "I'm willing to give you a second chance, but I'm not in this season, so frankly that doesn't count for anything. It's these other guys you have to worry about."

"Actually," Alejandro said, smiling slightly, "it… means more than you may think. Thank you."

~o.0.o~

Roughly half an hour later, Josh, Justin and Noah were on their way home, leaving the competitors behind. It was getting very late, and everyone was in bed- except for Gwen.

Gwen , who had for been trying to sleep for quite sometime, was now getting dressed, and heading out of the cabin.

"Hey," Courtney yawned, "Gwen, are you alright?"

"Yeah, fine," Gwen sighed, "I just…. I don't know, I just can't sleep."

"You sure you're okay?" Courtney asked,

"Yeah, no, I'll be fine," Gwen said, "I just need to go for a walk, tire myself out a bit, that's all."

"Okay," Courtney nodded, "be careful out there."

Gwen nodded, and opened the door…. Only to find herself unable to go outside. She merely stood there, gazing into the darkness- and unable to shake the feeling something was staring back. After a few minutes, Gwen quickly shut the door, and took a few steps back.

"I thought you were going for a walk?" Courtney asked.

"Ch…change of plans," Gwen gulped, "Can't… can't go out there."

"Gwen, you're starting to scare me," Courtney said, "what's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing!" Gwen stammered, "I just… need to sleep."

Much to Courtney's confusion, Gwen rushed over, and literally leapt into bed. Courtney shrugged it off, and went back to sleeping.

It was hours before Gwen started to drift off. Just when she finally thought she was going to be able to sleep, she had- well, a nightmare would be inaccurate, especially since she wasn't even sleeping. No, she had sort of… mental flashes. Images flew into her head, images she couldn't control. Thoughts of burning buildings, screaming people, a destroyed laboratory, the list went on. Gwen clamped her hands over her eyes, and tried to block everything out.

Gwen would spend the rest of the night wide awake, tormented by those retched images.

~o.0.o~

Three days later, and the contestants were scurrying about, performing various tasks around camp. Some were gathering food, some were starting a fire, some were cooking, and some were just enjoying a little free time.

Vevo was dancing around to music in the boy's cabin when there was a knock at the door. His face flushed a deep scarlet, and he cleared his throat.

"Yeah?" he called out, "Who-"

Ezekiel poked his head through the door.

"Eva says to wait five minutes, then meet us in the woods north of here," he said.

"Right," Vevo nodded, "now get the fuck out!"

Ezekiel muttered something, then slammed the door behind him.

Vevo did, however, wait as he had been instructed. He and Eva both agreed that they should NEVER, under ANY circumstance be seen together publicly. They knew too well that it would raise suspicions, and that was something that they could not afford at this stage of their plans, which had been going well.

It seemed the two worked well together. Eva heard Vevo's proposal of dooming the cast to starvation, then swooping in to save the day… for a price. Eva had one suggestion, however- they needed someone to pin the initial fires on. That way, they had someone to take the initial fall and lower everyone's guard. Then, instead of demanding obedience, they could merely present the food as a trade, and try to act the part as some sort of merchants. Vevo agreed quickly, and they began to formulate who would make a good scapegoat. Luckily for everyone else, they weren't able to think of anyone thus far.

After the five minutes were over, Vevo exited the cabin, then made his way into the wilds. After working his way through the trees for a while, Vevo finally found the two.

"There you are," Vevo scoffed, "so what's so important you had to drag me away from-"

He was interrupted when Eva tossed something large at his chest. Vevo staggered backward, but managed to catch the item in his hands.

"what hell-" Vevo began.

"Shut up and look," Eva demanded.

Vevo shook his head, and looked down at his hands.

"Wait a second," he said, "is this…?"

"Yup," Eva smirked.

Vevo grinned, and held up the object Eva had thrown- one of Chris' treasure chests.

"Eva, you just made my day," Vevo smiled.

"This is AWESOME!" Ezekiel agreed, "What are we gonna do with it, huh?"

"Shut the hell up and let me think," Vevo said, "look, this is a good shield in case anything backfires, but it has plenty of uses before then. We can't be too rash."

"Agreed," Eva nodded, "so give it back to me, and-"

"Woah woah, give it to YOU?" Vevo demanded.

"Yes," Eva snapped, "I'M the one who found it."

"I was the one who found it!" Ezekiel cried.

"Oh, shut up," Eva snapped, "no one cares about you. I'm serious, though, Vevo. You better hand that to me, or-"

"Whatever, fine," Vevo said, tossing it to her, "not like we can keep it in the cabins, anyway. We need a place to hide it. Somewhere we have quick and easy access to, but will be hard to find for anyone else."

"Yeah yeah, I'll figure something out," Eva said, gripping the box tightly, "you don't need to worry about it."

Back at camp, Gwen and Cody were sitting by a fire, talking.

"You sure you're okay?" Cody asked, "You just seem really… weird lately."

"Not much sleep," Gwen murmured, "the… dreams. Haven't you had the dreams?"

"No, what… what dreams?" Cody asked.

"I don't know," Gwen shrugged, "it's… it's like… I'm in this room, and everything is red. Then he shows up, and… everything just… goes away."

"Who's 'he'?" Cody asked.

"I dunno," Gwen shrugged.

"Look, I'm starting to worry about you," Cody said, "I really hate to say this… but maybe you should leave the game."

"What?" Gwen demanded. She was shocked- how could her friend suggest something like this?

"Look, you're going through a rough patch, is all I'm saying," Cody gulped, "I'm just saying- if this keeps up, maybe you should consider going home. I know a lot is riding on this, but it won't be worth it if you-"

"I'l be fine," Gwen snapped, "listen Cody, I-"

"Breakfast is ready!" DJ announced, dropping a plate of fried snails in front of them.

"Sorry," DJ frowned, "might not be your thing, but this is all we could find today. I seasoned 'em up best I could though. Wonder if Johnny would help us out- anyway, enjoy!"

"Thanks, DJ," Cody smiled, "smells great."

"Look," Gwen said, "I don't want to talk about this anymore, okay? I'm staying in the game, and that's FINAL."

"Alright, alright," Cody said, "look, I'm sorry if I offended you, I just don't want you to get hurt doing this."

"Whatever," Gwen muttered, "just leave me alone for a while, alright?"

~o.0.o~

A few hours passed, and it was time for Chris to gather everyone up and explain the day's challenge.

"Alright guys," he said, "here's the deal. For today's challenge, you're going to do a little spelunking. There's a nearby cavern I want you to dive down into. Once you're at the very bottom, you'll need to navigate to the end of the caverns, where you'll find a blue flag. The first team to get that blue flag back to me wins immunity from tonight's elimination."

"Oh, great," Duncan muttered, "you know, I really hate these cave challenges."

"I know you do," Chris smiled, "I know you do. Well, if you follow me, I'll lead you to your safety gear, and you can get started with the challenge."

Chris brought everyone to the mouth of a cave, where he had lots of rock climbing gear waiting around.

"Alright, cool," Miri smiled, "how do we get it set up?"

"Beats the hell outta me," Chris shrugged, "but I'm sure you guys'll figure it out!"

The contestants groaned, and set to work.

After a while, the Legion had finished setting up.

"Okay, I think that should be good," Miri said.

"You think so?" Johnny frowned, "I kinda thought we were all winging it."

"We were," Miri assured him, "but this should be fine. That, or we all die. Interesting experiment, right?"

"Not really," Johnny said.

"Let's just go," Quinn said, "if we're all going to die, we might as well just get it over with."

With that, the Legion began their descent. A descent that was quicker for some than others. After going down a few feet, Veronica's chord snapped, sending her plummeting into the darkness below.

"HELLLLPPPPPP!" she cried.

"Veronica!" Sunny exclaimed, "I'm coming, don't you worry!"

Sunny scrambled to… to do something. She really had no idea what TO do, as she had never BEEN rock climbing before. She managed to loosen her harness just enough, however, to send her sliding down the rope.

"Son of a BITCH!" Lucky exclaimed, "What do we do?"

"We just keep going down," Lance exclaimed, "we try to head after them. But we gotta do it slowly, no sense injuring ourselves."

At that exact moment, (probably to spite Lance), Quinn hurdled into the darkness below at an incredibly high speed.

"Did she just-" Lance asked.

"Yeah," Johnny said, "yeah she did."

"Doesn't matter," Lucky said, beginning to make his way down, "so long as these ropes hold up-"

SNAP!

And then it was Lucky's turn to fall downward.

"Wow," Vevo laughed, "he is NOT good at living up to his name. Why don't you mark that down for your little 'experiment', Miri?"

"Ridiculous," Miri scoffed, "irony not a factor. Of course… going INTO a test with an already expected outcome has the ability to change the result of the test itself. If Lucky's life was a metaphor for a test, and his name an expected outcome-"

"Uh, HELLO?" Lance interrupted, "We've got four possibly injured people! We need to go help them!"

"You're right, sorry," Miri agreed, "let's get going. Maybe we can make up for lost time before the Ronin-"

Almost predictably, the Ronin began to climb down the other side of the cave. Their safety gear was fashioned expertly, and they made their way down at a smooth, steady pace.

"Today is just not out day," Lance sighed.

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the cavern, the four teens were beginning to get their bearings.

"Oww," Sunny groaned, "I think I have ropeburn!"

"Quit complaining," Quinn yawned, "you'll be fine. It'll clear up eventually."

"I… I think I broke my arm," Lucky choked out.

"Let me see," Quinn muttered. She walked over to Lucky, and examined him closely. "No, I think it's just dislocated."

"You sure?" Lucky groaned.

"No," Quinn shrugged, "here, let's try this."

With that, Quinn grabbed Lucky's arm, and a minute later, he let out a yell.

"Yeah, it was dislocated," Quinn smirked, "you should still probably avoid using it for a while, though."

"God DAMN it!" Lucky shouted, "Gee, thanks for the heads up, you FINK!"

"Aww, I'm sorry," Quinn smirked, "want me to kiss it and make it better?"

"Oi!" Sunny snapped, "Aren't we forgetting something? Veronica's still here somewhere, you know!"

"Crap," Lucky groaned, "you've got a flashlight, right?"

"Yeah," Sunny nodded, "at least Chris had the decency to give us that."

Sunny turned on the flashlight, and shined it around the room.

"Where IS she?" Sunny asked.

"Over there!" Quinn said, pointing to a nearby rock.

Sunny shined her light, and saw Veronica was indeed slumped against it. Sunny couldn't be sure, but it looked like she had hit her head on the way down.

"No," Sunny groaned, "Veronica, no!"

"Oh baby," Lucky frowned, "ain't that a kick in the head."

~o.0.o~

A few minutes later, and all of the contestants, Ronin and Legion alike, had reached the bottom of the cave.

Johnny made his way over to his four comrades, a worried look on his face.

"You four all right?" he asked, "Anyone hurt?"

"We're fine," Sunny mumbled, "but Veronica… she's been acting… odd."

Johnny turned to see what Sunny was talking about, and was temporarily taken aback. Veronica was laying on the ground, staring at the ceiling, a wide grin on her face.

"Well that's creepy as hell," Lance muttered.

"She's been like this the whole time," Quinn shrugged, "creepy, but at least she shut the fuck up."

Of course, what they didn't know was WHY Veronica was smiling. It was because she was no longer in a cave- at least, not in her mind- she was in a beautiful meadow with all of her pony friends.

"C'mon, Veronica!" Autumn Twilight, a nearby unicorn said to her, "We need to harness the power of love and friendship to cast down the evil Chris-a-tron!"

"Right!" Veronica nodded, "He can't be allowed to bring his dark shadowy shadows of shadowness to the super happy fun meadow!"

Veronica withdrew her sword from it's holster, and thrust it into the air.

"I HAVE THE MAGICCCC!" She shouted.

Her teammates watched all of this with a confused glance.

"Um," Tyler frowned, "what… what is she doing?"

Sunny shrugged, and watched as Veronica danced around the room, swinging a stick in the air. She then suddenly shouted, "FOR FRIENDSHIP!" And charged off into a nearby cavern.

"Damn it!" Quinn exclaimed, "Somebody get her before she can go any further!"

As the Legion charged after Veronica, the Ronin watched in amusement.

"Well, I do believe this challenge just got easier," Alejandro smiled, "vamos."

"Wait," Cody said, "but even WE don't know where we're going. There are multiple paths here, which one do we take?"

"He's right," DJ groaned, "there ARE a few paths we could take. How are we supposed to decide?"

"That's easy," Eva scoffed, "we just go this way."

"What makes you say that?" DJ asked.

"Well, we have to go SOMEWHERE," Eva scoffed, storming off into one of the caverns, "you gonna follow me or not?"

The Ronin hesitated a moment, then grudgingly followed after her. It took a while, but eventually they began to hear things as they made their way through the tunnel.

"Hey, do you guys hear that?" Courtney asked, "It sounds like rushing water!"

"It IS running water!" Duncan pointed out, "look, just up ahead!"

Duncan pointed to a small stream of water leading away from the competitors.

"Do you think that could take us to the exit?" Harold asked.

"Worth a shot," Duncan shrugged, "come on, guys."

Meanwhile, The Legion was still attempting to catch Veronica.

"Damn it, where'd she go?" Vevo scowled, "And how did she manage to lose all of us?"

"Don't worry about it," Johnny said, "she can't be far from here. We just need to keep going a little further, and-"

"HA!" Veronica shouted, leaping in front of the contestants, "I've got you cornered now!"

"Oh, thank god, we found her," Lance said, "alright everybody, let's get moving-"

Veronica swung a large branch, catching Lance straight in the knee.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, "What the-"

"Your plans end here!" Veronica shouted, "Using the power of-"

"This is getting ridiculous," Quinn scoffed. With that, she waled over, and interrupted Veronica's speech with a hard backhand.

"What the- OW!" Veronica exclaimed, "Quinn, why would you do something like that?"

"You were acting like a freak," Vevo snapped.

"What're you talking about?" Veronica asked, "actually, where ARE we?"

"Someone wanna fill her in?" Lance sighed.

"I will," Sunny sighed.

Sunny turned to Veronica, and explained all of the events that had led them to their current location.

"But that's- I don't remember any of that!" Veronica exclaimed, "Honestly!"

"I know, sweetie," Sunny smiled, "but you might want to lay low for a little while."

"Maybe you're right," Veronica gulped.

"So where do we go now?" Miri asked, "I mean, now that we're all the way down here, it would take too much time to go back…"

"So we go forward," Lance shrugged.

~o.0.o~

About an hour later, and the Ronin emerged outside, greeted by the bright sunlight.

"Finally!" DJ smiled, "About time we got out of there!"

"And look! There's the flag!" Cody cheered.

The geek grabbed the nearby flag, and turned to his teammates.

"C'mon, we better go get this to Chris," Cody said, "let's hurry!"

~o.0.o~

Chris was relaxing on the beach when the Ronin approached him.

"Chris!" Cody panted, "We have the flag!"

"huh?" Chris frowned, "Flag? Oh, right, the flag! Well, um, good work. I declare the Ronin officially immune from tonight's elimination!"

The Ronin cheered, and Chris held up a hand.

"Now, we just have to wait for the Legion to show up," Chris explained.

It took a while, but the Legion eventually did arrive.

"Looks like you guys are back on the chopping block," Chris announced.

"Thanks for that, Veronica," Quinn scowled.

Veronica's face turned red, but she said nothing.

"I'll give you guys a while to think it over," Chris said, "elimination in one hour."

**CONFESSIONAL: Lucky**

_So, is Veronica going home? I doubt it. Sunny made me a sling for my arm, but until it's healed I'm pretty well useless. I don't foresee myself sticking around all that long. _

**END CONFESSIONAL**

It was time for the elimination ceremony, and Chris had everyone gathered around.

"Okay," he said, "if I call your name and throw you a marshmallow, blah blah blah, you know the drill. First marshmallow goes to…

Sunny.

Quinn.

Tyler.

Lance.

Johnny.

Aria.

Vevo, and…

Miri.

Lucky and Veronica, it's down to you two. One of you is going home tonight. One of you basically blew the challenge for your team, and the other is a cripple. So, the final marshmallow goes to…

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All of a sudden, Aria got to her feet, and stared at Chris.

"Final marshmallow goes to… goes to…" he murmured. Chris shook his head, and frowned.

"Huh," he thought, "you know, I get the feeling we need to do a recount."

"What?" Quinn demanded, "Will you hurry it up already?"

"Sorry, I made a mistake," Chris called out groggily, "the real person going home tonight is:

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"ARIA! The boat of losers awaits!"

"Wait a second," Miri pointed out, "that doesn't make sense- how could SHE be the one going home-"

"My time is over," Aria said, "it cannot be stopped. You have no need of me anymore."

"Ummm…. What are you talking about?" Lance asked.

"Tread carefully," Aria warned, "and whatever you do, avoid His call."

With that, Aria turned and walked away from the stage, almost vanishing into the darkness.

"Well, that was unsettling," Johnny frowned.

Chris shook his head, and cleared his throat.

"Anyway," he said, "There you have it folks! Aria, the island's latest reject! Tune in to see who goes home next time on

CAMP TV:

SPECTER ISLANDS!"


	11. Video Killed the Reality Star

(A/N: Wait a minute wait a minute wait a minute wait a minute. Season five of Total Drama already debuted? In AMERICA? How did I manage to miss that? Sigh, oh well. I just wish Cody was competing this time around. Anyway, I wanted to thank everyone who voted in the poll- I think you'll be pleased by the events of this episode.)

Eva was sunning herself on the beach when Vevo stormed over to her, a look of absolute fury on his face.

"I KNEW you were going to pull something like this!" Vevo shouted, "Where the hell is it then, huh? The hell did you put it?"

Eva looked up, a scowl on her face.

"What are you talking about?" she demanded.

"The chest," Vevo hissed, "after the challenge the other day, you showed me a hollowed out tree stump, and said you were going to stash it there. Well, I went to go check on it today, and it's gone. Where did you put it?"

"What makes you think I took it?" Eva snapped.

"Because it was in the middle of the wilds," Vevo said, "no one else knew it was there!"

"And it never occurred to you someone might have gone looking for one of the chests, and maybe they HAPPENED to find ours?" Eva scoffed, "Just because it's gone doesn't mean I stole it!"

"Okay, I'll humor you for a minute," Vevo muttered, "if someone else has it, that'd be WORSE."

"Exactly," Eva hissed, "so instead of standing here yelling at me, GO LOOK INTO IT!"

Ezekiel watched from a distance, a smile forming on his face.

**CONFESSIONAL: Ezekiel**

**Ezekiel: **_Ha! Looks like part one of my super-secret master plan has come to fruition! While they're busy thinking that someone ELSE stole that chest, I'll use it to get further in the game-_

**Eva: **_...Ezekiel?_

_\_

**Ezekiel: **_*turns, seeing Eva and Vevo standing a few yards away, looking pissed* Uh, um... GAH!_

_**END CONFESSIONAL**_

Ezekiel ran away from the confessional camera, Eva and Vevo following after. After a few seconds, however, Eva stopped.

"Wait," she said, "there's no point. He can't hide from us forever."

"That son of a- I'll kill him," Vevo growled, "he thinks he can double cross me? ME? I am the goddamn KING-"

"Woah woah woah," Eva snapped, "that was my schtick before you even came on to the show! Get your own!"

"WHATEVER!" Vevo shouted, "What's important now is that Ezekiel PAYS! The next time you guys lose- and I'll see to it personally that happens soon- he goes home!"

"Look, as much as I'd also like to see him booted off early yet again," Eva nodded, "we have no idea what he did with the chest. After what happened here, he'll KNOW we planned to eliminate him, anyway. We need to find out where he put the chest, then take it for ourselves and give him the boot."

"Fine," Vevo sighed, "yeah, you're right."

"Oh, and I think you owe me an apology for earlier," Eva snapped.

"Bite me," Vevo muttered under his breath.

"WHAT WAS THAT?"

"Sorry, sorry," Vevo said, rolling his eyes, "look, you keep doing... whatever it is you think you're doing. I'M going to go back to camp and sort this out."

"You do that," Eva yawned.

Vevo shook his head, scowled slightly, and began his trek back to camp.

~o.0.o~

Lucky and Sunny were at camp, sitting around the fire that had been made that morning.

"How's your arm?" Sunny asked.

Lucky glanced down at his arm, which was still in a sling.

"Fine, I guess," he shrugged, "I'm surprised you guys didn't give me the ax. I'll be useless the next time a challenge rolls around-"

"Just do your best," Sunny smiled, "I looked at it, and to be honest I don't think its anywhere near as bad as it initially looked."

"Really?" Lucky asked, "Because it looked- and felt- pretty bad."

"Well, Quinn's 'help' certainly didn't do you any favors," Sunny admitted, "but as long as you don't use it too much, it should heal up fairly well within five or so days."

"Cool," Lucky smiled, "now I just gotta make sure I don't get kicked off before then."

"So, I have a question," Sunny asked, "um, unless you think it's too private-""Baby, we're on national television," Lucky shrugged, "nothing's private."

"Fair enough. I just- that comment you made the other day... the one about cleaning blood out of suits. That... was a joke, right?" Sunny asked.

Lucky sighed, and shook his head.

"Listen," Lucky sighed, "when I was a kid, I... did things I probably shouldn't have done. Made mistakes. A lot of people got hurt because of me. Because of my choices. Then everything changed, and I've been trying to make sense of things ever since."

"What happened?" Sunny asked, "You mentioned before you moved away after a while, right?"

"What, are you writing a book?" Lucky snapped.

"I- sorry," Sunny said, "you don't-"

"No, it's fine," Lucky sighed, "I'm sorry for- look, it's not easy for me to talk about."

A moment of silence fell between the two, until at last Lucky spoke.

"My father... left," Lucky sighed, "and I moved down south to stay with some extended family."

"Are you happier with them?" Sunny asked.

"Well," Lucky began, "I-"

"Hey, Lucky," Quinn called, "you might want to go talk to your boyfriend- apparently he's causing a bit of a fuss."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Lucky asked.

Quinn smirked, gestured to the boy's cabin, and walked off.

"I better go see what's going on," Lucky said, getting to his feet.

"Yeah," Sunny agreed, "we can talk about this later."

Lucky quickly made his way to the boy's cabin, and upon opening the door he was greeted by a nasty sight. Two beds were overturned and thrown on the floor, clothes were strewn everywhere, and Lance was frantically pacing around as Cody, Harold, and Alejandro watched nervously.

"Lance?" Lucky asked, "Lance! What the hell is going on-"

"I can't- I can't take it, man!" Lance snapped, "We keep losing, and I KNOW what everyone's been saying about me!"

"Saying about you- the hell are you talking about?"

"It's not easy," Lance exclaimed, "I've done my best for this team! I have! Since day one I've had to step up and be the leader- but now they're looking to get rid of me!"

Lucky glanced over to Lance's bed, and saw the empty pill bottles.

"Oh, shit," Lucky groaned, piecing together what had been going on.

"Lance, why don't you calm down," Lucky suggested, "take a breath, you dig?"

"Don't talk down to me, Lucky," Lance warned, "I'm not in the mood to-"

"I know what's going on," Lucky said, "don't worry, we can sort this out, okay? You just gotta take a breath, and calm down."

"Damn it!" Lance shouted, "you think this is easy for me-"

"Never said it was," Lucky shrugged, "just try to calm down, alright?"

Lance stood there for a moment, taking deep breaths.

"Okay," he said after a while, "alright... alright, I'm alright."

"You sure?" Lucky asked.

"Yeah," Lance nodded, "I just need to... keep my head on straight."

"Okay," Lucky agreed, "good, yeah. Listen, let's clean up this cabin, and we'll talk to Chris about this later, okay?"

"Yeah," Lance sighed, "yeah. Look, I'm sorry guys-"

"It... happens?" Cody frowned, "I guess?"

"Of course it does," Alejandro chuckled, "even the greatest of competitors have their weaknesses. Well, we should let you two talk this out, hm? None of our business. Vamos, mi amigos."

Alejandro led Cody and Harold out of the cabin, and Lance sat on a nearby bed, running his hands through his hair.

"I'm a mess, man," Lance said, "now they know I'm crazy."

"Hey," Lucky said, taking a seat next to him, "it'll be fine. Just keep a handle on this as long as you can. We'll get it taken care of soon enough."

"You think so?" Lance asked.

"Yeah," Lucky said, "and if not, hell with it. This place seems to thrive on crazy anyway."

"Shut up," Lance chuckled.

~o.0.o~

Duncan, Tyler and DJ were out by the beach, attempting to catch fish for the rest of the Ronin.

"So, Duncan," Tyler started, "a youth outreach program, huh? How'd you get into that?"

"It's kind of a long story," Duncan shrugged, "besides, aren't you worried your teammates will get angry at you for helping us?"

"Nah, it's cool," Tyler said, "they didn't seem to mind the idea of me helping you get food."

"They aren't worried about you helping us?"

"I guess not," Tyler shrugged, "it'd be too obvious if I did, and they could just vote me off afterwards."

"Fair enough," Duncan agreed, "okay, I guess I can talk about it. I mean, it's not too interesting, but-"

"Go on, man," DJ encouraged, "I'm curious too."

"Well," Duncan sighed, "I guess... I was kind of screw-up when I was younger. I mean, you guys saw what I acted like in the first two seasons. Things were just rough for me. And, here's the thing, every kid has to get their frustration out somehow. They have to vent. I just got my anger out in the worst ways. Acting out, vandalism, very petty shoplifting."

"You were just a kid, man," DJ frowned, "you don't gotta worry about that stuff anymore. You've changed now, haven't you?"

"Exactly," Duncan nodded, "but I'm only one person. I joined up with the program to help other kids like me change. See that there's more than one way to go about life. I mean, sometimes I stay up late at night worried about where I might have ended up if I kept going like that."

"What changed?" Tyler asked.

"Honestly?" Duncan asked, "Celebrity Manhunt."

DJ and Tyler gave him an inquisitive look, and he smiled.

"I was channeling surfing shortly after season two ended," Duncan explained, "and the channel landed on Celebrity Manhunt. Since the season had just ended, they wanted hype up Camp TV. They showed a few interviews with fans, contestants, and even Chris."

"I remember that," Tyler said, "I think I was interviewed for that program!"

"You were, yeah," Duncan nodded, "so was Noah, Geoff, and a few others. Anyway, after interviews, they showed an outtake reel. Just random clips from the show. When I saw the ones of me... I realized that wasn't how I wanted to be seen anymore. I didn't want to act that way anymore. I was ashamed with myself."

"I know how you feel," DJ sighed, "after season one ended, I was so happy to get back home. Most of my family didn't care, and they were just glad I didn't get booted off first. Momma especially was glad to have me back. But my dad... he always treated me differently. He said I didn't do my best, and I just acted like a coward the entire time. I mean, I was somewhat of an athlete before the show, so he had high hopes. After that... well, after that he did his best to give me the cold shoulder. And when he was introducing my family to someone... he'd never introduce me as his own son."

"Dude," Tyler frowned, "harsh."

"He never even came to my highschool graduation," DJ muttered, "after that, nothing I did was ever good enough, you know. Every time I messed up, even a little bit, he'd hold it over me."

"Is that why you came back?" Tyler asked.

"Part of it," DJ said, "I mean, I kind of need the money too. That pet shelter I told you I was working at? It fills up real quick, and people in my city just don't seem to want to adopt anymore. And I can't take care of EVERY animal myself."

"Have you taken any home?" Tyler asked, "You know, as your own pet?"

"Yeah," DJ nodded, "two cats and a dog. And... I had a turtle too. I found him on the side of the road, his shell cracked. I brought him home and did my best to help him heal up. I called him Paul. I loved that little guy- he actually used to play with my cats, you know."

"Really?" Tyler smiled.

"Yeah," DJ grinned, "he used to hide in his shell, and that cats would spin him around with their paws. It was really cute- I miss that little guy."

"Well, what about you, Tyler?" Duncan asked, "Since it's sharing and caring time- why'd you come back?"

"Nothing like you guys," Tyler shrugged, "I mean, it's always bothered me that I could never beat my record from the first season. And season two... I don't even like to think about season two."

"No one does," DJ agreed.

"Season three, I got tricked by Alejandro," Tyler muttered, "so I made a pact to myself. A pact that I wasn't going to get eliminated because of any sort of manipulation or tricks. I'm going to do my best, and if I go down this time, it's going to be because someone beat me fair and square. I'm going to prove that I'm not that easily fooled anymore!"

"Good for you," DJ smiled, "I- you know what? Why don't we make a pact, the three of us? No matter what happens, we're going to work as hard as we can and get into the merge- and maybe even the finals! What do you say, guys?"

"I say we've probably jinxed ourselves already, but what the hell," Duncan shrugged, "alright, I'm in."

"Me too," Tyler smirked, "say hello to the new power trio!"

~o.0.o~

A few hours later, Chris called everyone over to the beach, where he had a boat waiting.

"Okay guys," Chris said, "I've got a special surprise for all of you! We just received word from the studio that the ratings are in, and we're blowing other shows clear out of the water! As a result, they've set up a party for you guys back at the mainland. And- wait for it- it's in a castle! Eh? Eh? Coolest show ever, am I right? In fact, it's the SAME castle some of you visited two years ago! Go continuity! So get piled on to the boat, and we'll get started!"

~o.0.o~

The cast arrived at the castle soon enough, and began making their way inside.

"This brings back memories,"Courtney smiled.

"Yeah, like how much this place sucked," Eva scoffed, "i swear, if I see a catapult anywhere near here I'll-"

"Relax," Chris sighed, "like I said, the studio was paying for all this. No challenge for you guys today."

At this, a few of the contestants let out a small cheer of celebration.

"I know, I know," Chris said, "I'm amazing. Now shut up and get inside- let's get this started!"

Courtney pushed open the door, and gasped. The castle interior was decorated very lavishly, and any damage that remained from their last visit had been repaired. There were banquet tables full of food, and music played from unseen speakers. But what stood out most to Courtney was the fact that her boyfriend was standing in the middle of everything, a smile on his face.

"GEOFF!" Courtney cheered, rushing inside to give him a hug.

"Hey, what about us?" Katie demanded, "don't we matter?"

As the cast entered, they were surprised to see that Geoff, Owen, Katie, Trent, and Heather were waiting patiently inside.

"What are THEY doing here?" Eva demanded.

"Nice to see you too,"Heather scoffed, "been keeping yourself busy, you little wannabe?

"More busy than you, wash up." Eva snapped.

"Seriously though," Harold frowned, "what are they doing here?"

"They've come here to celebrate with you guys," Chris shrugged, "not my idea. The studio wanted to cater to the fans a little, I guess. So for one night only, you get to mingle with all of your old friends! Except for Trent. Because no one likes Trent."

"Hey!" Trent exclaimed.

"So get to mingling," Chris said, "and remember, make me some RATINGS!"

The contestants talked among thereselves for a minute, then quickly dispersed. Some went to get food, some danced, and some just sat around talking. Lucky, true to his word, took Lance to go talk to Chris.

"Hey, Chris," Lance muttered, "I... can I talk to you?"

"Make it quick," Chris said, "time is money."

"You... you know about my condition," Lance said, "and.. I'm out. My meds are gone, I don't know what happened-"

"So, you need more, eh?" Chris nodded, "Well, I suppose I can give you some... IF you can find me one of those treasure chests!"

"What?" Lance exclaimed.

"You heard me," Chris smirked, "I'll help you with your problem as SOON as you find me one of those treasure chests."

"You can't do this!" Lance cried, "I need those to-"

"Can and did," Chris smirked, "if you need them so much, you better get busy, huh?"

Lance and Lucky walked away, fuming.

"That son of a bitch," Lance muttered, "son of a BITCH!"

"Hey, it'll be cool," Lucky said, "we'll figure something out."

Just then, they overheard a conversation from the corner of the room.

"I'm telling you, Zeke," Vevo threatened, "you have exactly three seconds to tell me where you put the chest, or things are going to get violent."

Lucky and Lane looked over, and spotted Ezekiel being threatened by Vevo and Eva.

"Yeah right," Ezekiel smirked, "you wouldn't-"

"EZEKIEL!" Eva shouted.

"Okay okay!" Ezekiel whined, "Under the boys cabin! I put it under the boys cabin!"

"Under the boys- you idiot!" Vevo scoffed, "Do you know how easy it would be for someone to-"

Lucky and Lance looked at each other, smiling.

"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" Lucky asked.

"Oh, hell yeah," Lance nodded.

~o.0.o~

Meanwhile, Geoff, Courtney and Owen were seated together, having dinner. More accurately, Owen scarfed down plate after plate of food while Courtney and Owen talked.

"I missed you," Courtney smiled, "how are things going with the show?"

"Just ended production of season two," Geoff smiled, "so I get some off time for a while. How have things been with you?"

"Same old same old," Courtney shrugged, "I've been doing alright for myself I guess. That island still creeps me out, though."

"I'm sorry," Geoff frowned, "I'd be there for you if I could, but-"

All of a sudden, the light's went out, and the music was cut.

"What's going on?" Courtney asked.

"No idea," Geoff frowned, "stay seated, alright? I'll be back in a-"

Before Geoff could get up, however, a loud scream was heard.

"WHO WAS THAT?" Owen screamed, terrified.

There was commotion all around the room as the contestants tried to navigate their way through the darkness.

Cody and Gwen were busy trying to find a light switch, when Gwen let out a soft whimper.

"Are you okay?" Cody asked.

"I... I don't like the dark," Gwen stuttered.

"Since when?" Cody asked, amazed, "I thought you loved the dark!"

In response, Gwen just shut her eyes and curled up on the ground.

"Hey, it'll be okay!" Cody said, "Just give us a minute, someone will-"

A second later, the lights flicked back on.

"Got 'em!" Trent called.

"That was weird,"Cody muttered, "Its okay, Gwen. The lights are back on."

Gwen was still sitting on the ground quietly. Cody sighed, and sat down next to her.

"Seriously, Gwen," Cody asked, "what's wrong? You haven't been yourself at all lately."

"I don't want to talk about it," Gwen said.

"Gwen, you need to talk to somebody," Cody said, "even if it isn't me-"

"DEAD!" Katie shrieked, "CHRIS IS DEAD!"

Cody and Gwen both looked up, shocked.

A small crowd was gathering in the next room, and Cody rose to join them.

"You coming?" he asked Gwen, who shook her head.

Cody sighed, and joined everyone in the next room. They were gathered around Chris' body- a bloody dagger stuck out of his chest, and blood dripped down from his shirt and on to the floor.

"No!" Courtney gasped, "Chris!"

"...Does that mean we can go home now?" Eva asked, only to receive a glare from everyone else, "What? I was just-"

"Everyone stand back!" a voice called, "Detective Cody Anderson is on the case!"

Everyone turned to see Cody in his detective uniform, smiling widely.

"Oh no," Trent groaned, "not this again!"

**CONFESSIONAL: Cody**

_It didn't take me long to figure out it was just another challenge. I mean, Chris specifically TOLD us there wasn't going to be one of any kind today- and everyone knows he lies like a rug! I thought about the setting, the fact that several old players were brought back- and it all made sense. It's just a big game of Clue!_

**END CONFESSIONAL**

"Okay," Cody said, "I'm going to need Trent, Owen, Geoff, Katie, and Heather front and center."

"Hold it right there, dweeb," Heather snapped, "no one gives me orders, you got that?"

"Oh-ho!" Cody exclaimed, "Don't like taking orders, eh? Well, Chris seemed to give you an awful lot of them!"

"Well, duh!" Heather scoffed, "That guy was a- wait, are you saying you think I-"

"You're a pretty dame," Cody said, "but you've got a heart colder than a snowman with freezer-burn."

"...What?"Heather started, "That doesn't-"

"Same goes for you, Katie," Cody continued, "everybody here knows you can't be trusted either."

"Look," Katie snapped, "this isn't the time to go flinging accusations around! Chris is-"

"A dummy," Johnny stated, "this ain't Chris."

Johnny kicked the body in front of them, which fell over limply.

"Good imitation, though," Johnny shrugged.

"Damn it!" Chris shouted, "You ruined the challenge!"

Everyone turned, and saw Chris emerge from a corner, exasperated.

"You guys ruin everything, you know that?" Chris snapped.

"Sorry," Veronica frowned.

"Sorry," Chris mocked, "shut up! And I had this elaborate- GOD! You know what, fine! I don't even care anymore! The Legion wins today's awesome prize!"

"Prize?" Quinn asked.

"Yup," Chris said, "since you guys won- in the loosest definition of the word- today's challenge, you get to pick one of these five returning competitors to join your team! That's right- you can pick between Trent, Heather, Katie, Geoff, or Owen to join your team! I'll give you a minute to decide!"

The Legion gathered in a group, and began talking amongst themselves. After a while, Sunny spoke.

"We pick Geoff," she announced.

"Thank you!" Courtney cheered, hugging her boyfriend.

"Aw," Owen frowned, "I'll miss you, buddy."

"It's cool, dude," Geoff smiled, "I'm sure this season will be over before you know it."

"Unfortunately for the Ronin, this means you'll have to vote off two people tonight," Chris smirked.

"what?" Eva moaned.

"Sorry," Chris shrugged, "we had too many people to begin with, we have to make up for the addition of Geoff. Say goodbye to everyone, and we'll head back to the island!"

The campers said their goodbyes, and then boarded the boat back to Specter Islands. Once there, Vevo, Ezekiel and Eva headed straight for the boys cabin- only to find the chest wasn't there.

"You said the chest was here!" Eva shouted.

"It was, I swear!" Ezekiel moaned.

"it doesn't matter now," Vevo shrugged, "you have elimination in a little bit. You go convince everyone to vote him off, I'll make sure he doesn't pull anything funny."

Eva nodded, and walked off.

"I just wanted to do good this time," Ezekiel pouted, "I just wantEd my parents to be proud."

"You should have thought of that before you tried to screw us," Vevo said, "suck it up."

Neither two had noticed Lance slip away quietly, large object in tow...

~o.0.o~

"Okay," Chris said once everyone was gathered for the elimination ceremony, "you all know the drill. First marshmallow goes to...

Cody.

Gwen.

DJ.

Duncan.

Harold.

Courtney.

Eva.

Alejandro, Bridgette, and Ezekiel, it's down to you three. And the last marshmallow of the night goes to...

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ALEJANDRO!"

Alejandro caught his last marshmallow, and grinned.

"Bridgette, if its any consolation, you received less votes than Ezekiel," Chris said, "and as a result, score one place higher."

"Gee, great," Bridgette murmured.

"Ezekiel, Bridgette, time to take the boat off the island and out of our lives! This is Chris McLean saying tune in next time or another exciting episode of CAMP TV!"


	12. Go Into the Water

Chris was in his living room, sipping a bottle of rum.

"I don't know," Chris thought, "bringing Geoff back WILL be good for the ratings, but I don't know. Vevo and Eva haven't made any real moves aside from eliminating Ezekiel and Ricardo. But no one liked them anyway, so..."

"If you're looking for conflict," VIA suggested, "break apart the teams."

"Nah," Chris frowned, "I can't merge them just yet, I need to wait until there are twelve or thirteen of them left for that."

"No," VIA continued, "I mean cause conflict within the teams themselves."

"I like where you're going with this," Chris nodded, "but how-"

"Easy," VIA said, "offer up one of the treasure chests as a reward for a challenge. That way, the winning team will be forced to decide what it's used for. I suspect there shall be some difference of opinion as to what the chest should be used for. This should easily cause the rift you seek."

"You know what?" Chris smiled, "that's not a bad idea! And I think I know the perfect way to integrate that into a challenge!"

~o.0.o~

Geoff was in the boys cabin, unpacking his things while talking to a few of his old friends.

"It's good to have you back, man," Cody smiled, "things have been getting a little... weird around here."

"What do you mean weird?" Geoff asked.

"Just stuff and things," Cody sighed, "Gwen's been acting weird lately, there was that one creepy girl who kept saying cryptic stuff, and then Lindsay's freakout-"

"What do you mean, Lindsay freaked out?" Geoff frowned.

"It was the weirdest thing, man," DJ chimed in, "we were doing a challenge in this weird, virtual reality sorta thing. Then, out of nowhere, Lindsay starts screaming and crying. Then- poof- she's gone! Once we got out of the simulation, Chris told us there had been some sort of 'side affects', and that she had been eliminated for medical reasons."

Geoff looked over to Cody, who nodded in confirmation.

"Seeing the freakout... to be honest, it was kind of scary," Cody muttered, "I mean, you'd think the three seasons before this would have made me used to stuff like that, but... I don't know."

"That does sound pretty weird," Geoff agreed, "anything else like it happen?"

"Well," Cody said, beginning to speak. He thought of telling Geoff about Gwen's problems, but decided not to go into too much detail for fear the others might brand her as crazy. "Gwen's been acting a bit odd lately, like I said. Weird dreams and stuff, but I'm sure it's just a coincidence."

"Maybe," Geoff agreed, "speaking of which, you two have been getting close."

"What?" Cody gulped, blushing instantly, "No, no! We're just friends! Don't worry, I-"

"Relax, man," Geoff smiled, "it's over between us, and she's an awesome girl. Just make sure that if you do become more than friends, you don't hurt her. Alright?"

"I'd never hurt Gwen," Cody promised.

"Good," Geoff said, "well, I think I'm done packing away all of my stuff- I'll talk to you guys later, okay? I'm gonna go see Courtney."

"Alright," Cody nodded, "later, Geoff!"

Geoff left the cabin, giving a smile and a wave.

"Later dudes," he said, shutting the door behind him.

The cabin was silent for a while, until Alejandro spoke.

"So," he began, "I've... a question, If I may."

"What's up?" DJ asked.

"I was certain I'd be going home last night," Alejandro shrugged, "and yet I remain here. Why is that?"

"Well," Cody said, "you seemed honest enough in wanting to start over, so we figured you'd give us a chance."

"I... see," Alejandro said, "I suppose I should thank you."

"If you really want to thank us," DJ said, "just do your best to make sure we don't have another elimination ceremony so soon, alright?"

"Alright," Alejandro nodded, "I... thank you anyway, amigos."

~o.0.o~

"I'm telling you Eva," Vevo smirked, "I've got our solution right here."

"Yeah, you've been saying that for a while now," Eva scowled, "mind telling me what your grand little plan is?"

Vevo and Eva were walking through the wilds, strategizing. Eva was still upset over the loss of both a chest and their only other ally, although Vevo seemed smug.

"Don't worry, you're going to want to hear this," Vevo smiled, "I know exactly what happened to the chest."

"What?" Eva asked, stopping in her tracks, "Where the hell is it?"

"Gone," Vevo sighed, "it was already given to Chris."

"Vevo, if you had something to do with it, so help me-" Eva started.

"Relax," Vevo snapped, "I had nothing to do with it. I didn't find out until later. See, I was up a little later than usual last night, when I saw something interesting- Lance got up, got dressed, and snuck out of the cabin. I got curious, so I followed after him. Well, I tailed him through the wilds, where- get this- he had stashed our chest in a bush."

"Are you sure it was ours?" Eva asked.

"Oh yeah," Vevo said, "but I'll get to that in a minute. Anyway, I considered confronting Lance then and there, but something told me to keep following him. I did, and he went all the way to Chris' cabin. Chris came outside, and they spoke for a bit. I didn't hear everything, but I know for a FACT Chris congratulated Lance for stealing the chest."

"That son of a-" Eva started.

"Anyway," Vevo continued, "Lance told Chris he wanted to trade it in for his meds. Sure enough, Chris handed him an orange bottle a few seconds later. Lance got this smile on his face, took one of the pills, and then walked off."

"So vote him out," Eva hissed, "make him pay!"

"Will you shut up a minute?" Vevo shouted, "I have a much, much better idea, if you'd let me finish!"

"Fine," Eva muttered, "whatever, make it quick."

"After he went back to the cabin, I sort of hung outside for a while," Vevo said, "I waited a good hour before going inside. I wanted to make sure he was asleep. Once I did go in, I immediately went over to Lance's belongings, and fished around for a while until I found that bottle. You're not going to believe this- it was an antipsychotic!"

"What?" Eva smirked, "Really?"

"Yeah," Vevo nodded, "apparently it's used to treat paranoia or bipolarity or something. So, I got to thinking... what if we use that as leverage?"

"You mean we still the meds and blackmail him with it?" Eva smiled, "That's the most evil thing I've heard all day!"

"Even better," Vevo snickered, "remember the plan about destroying the camp's food supply? I've noticed Johnny has begun to stick to a few specific areas in the wilds. I'm going to follow him around for a bit and find out where those areas are. Once I do, we collect as much food as we can, then burn it down."

"No," Eva corrected, "we have LANCE do it for us. Then we pin it on him, blame it on his condition!"

"Oh yeah," Vevo cheered, "we have this in the BAG!"

~o.0.o~

Later that afternoon, Chris was explaining the day's challenge to the campers.

"Okay, here's what's going down," Chris smiled, "remember those chests I said you could turn in for prizes? Well, I've decided that today, whatever team wins the challenge will earn a chest to use for themselves! What IS the challenge you might be asking? Simple! You may notice the two boats behind me, loaded up with scuba gear. Your objective is to put on the gear, and then set out to sea. You'll take turns diving down into the water, avoiding traps and underwater predators alike to try and find the chest! Oh, and did I mention each scuba tank only has enough air for about ten minutes?"

"Ten minutes?" Miri asked, "But that's barely enough time to-"

"That's the point," Chris smiled, "you're going to have to swim to the bottom of the sea as fast as possible, and search for the treasure chest. First team that finds it gets to keep it."

"So does that mean we have a reward challenge today?" Courtney smiled hopefully.

"Ha ha ha, NOPE!" Chris laughed, "The losers will send someone home tonight like usual!"

At this, a few campers began to grumble.

"Hey, you want me to make it another double elimination?" Chris asked, "No? I didn't think so! So, get in those boats, and set sail!"

~o.0.o~

After the contestants had gotten changed into their swimming gear, then quickly set out.

"Okay," Duncan told his team, "we need a win here to try and get our edge back. I say we send out two at a time, have them cover a specific area, and then come back up."

"Sounds good," Alejandro nodded, "I volunteer to go first."

"I do too," DJ shrugged.

"Okay," Duncan nodded, "cover as much of the area to the west as you can, alright?"

"You got it," DJ smiled, "ready, Alejandro?"

"Ready," Alejandro agreed.

With that, the two dove into the water. Once beneath the surface, the two swam down as quickly as possible, scanning the area. Alejandro began to gesture to DJ, trying to indicate exactly where he would be investigating. DJ, however, merely stared straight ahead, treading water. Frustrated, Alejandro began to gesture faster, when DJ suddenly began swimming to the surface. Alejandro let out a slight sigh, and turned around to begin his hunt. When he turned, however, he was horrified to see a huge, eel-like monster heading straight for him. Alejandro turned, swimming away as fast as he could. He was able to spot a cave in a nearby rock formation, and he swam in, praying the creature would not follow. The eel initially did tail Alejandro, but suddenly turned around and swam off, as if bored. Alejandro grinned and began to relax, when he felt something brush up against his leg. Alejandro let out a yelp, and immediately sped out of the cave as fast as possible.

Meanwhile, the Ronin were sitting on the boat, listening to DJ recount what had happened.

"I have no idea what happened to Al!" DJ stammered, "The thing just took off after him! I... I was too scared to-"

"DJ, it's alright," Duncan assured him, "trust me when I say most people would do the same thing. You panicked, no one can blame you for that."

"Besides, it's better you came and got help," Courtney put in, "this way we can formulate a plan to save-"

A second later, Alejandro appeared on the surface of the water, and quickly hoisted himself on to the boat. He removed the mask from his face, and tossed it to the side, panting heavily.

"Al!" DJ exclaimed, "Are you alright?"

"Fine..." Alejandro groaned, "as far as narrowly escaping death goes, I suppose things could be better, but I'm fine."

"What happened down there?" DJ asked.

"I managed to evade the creature," Alejandro explained, "I must admit, however, I'm surprised I made it out with my life."

"At least now we know what's down there," Eva said," so who's going next?"

"I'll go," Courtney offered, "with any luck we can get this over with so no one gets hurt."

"I'll go too," Harold said.

"Alright," Duncan sighed, "good luck you guys."

The Legion had already sent out Lucky and Tyler, who were now coming back empty-handed.

"Alright, you guys find anything?" Lance asked.

"Oh, nothing," Tyler said, "just a GIANT FREAKING EEL MONSTER. But no biggie."

"A what?" Lance asked, "what the hell are you saying?"

"We went down there, and we got attacked by something," Tyler frowned, "at first, we saw this huge thing chasing Alejandro, but he managed to hide or something. Then it turned and saw us- we were lucky to escape with our lives!"

"A sea monster?" Miri scoffed, "Come on, you have to be exaggerating, surely it wasn't that big-"

"It was," Tyler gulped, "it had to have been at least as big as this boat!"

**CONFESSIONAL: Miri**

_Granted, I've seen some pretty weird stuff on this show. But sea monsters? Come on! Something like that can't actually exist!_

**END CONFESSIONAL**

"Look, something's down there," Johnny sighed, "if you guys want, I'll check it out."

"That'd be good," Lance nodded, "just see what's down there, alright?"

"And what do we do if there is?" Veronica asked.

"That's the million dollar question, isn't it?" Johnny sighed, "I'll be back in a minute."

Johnny put on his mask, and slowly lowered himself into the water. Once submerged, Johnny allowed himself a few seconds to adjust to his surroundings. He swam around cautiously, beginning to feel a faint twang of paranoia. He had always held hunting in a high regard. His sister had instilled in him a respect for the animals he hunted, as well as the woods he hunted in. She had told him there was always a certain serenity to hunting, and growing up Johnny had to agree. It was the circle of life- nothing more, nothing less. And now, Johnny knew what it was like to be on both sides of the spectrum. He had grown up the hunter, and now he was the prey. Alone, out of his element, and unable to shake any feelings of being watched. Needless to say, Johnny didn't LIKE the feeling- but he acknowledged it as being strangely fitting.

Johnny continued to swim around in the dark, glancing over his shoulder every now and then. He was about to give up and go back to the boat when he finally saw it- a huge slithering form off to Johnny's side. It circled around for a few minutes, and then dashed forward, heading straight for Johnny. Johnny waited until the eel got closer, and then swam straight up, barely avoiding the monster. He headed for the boat, as fast as he could. One he got closer, Johnny cast a quick glance back over his shoulder, and saw the thing closing in. It got closer and closer, and for a split second Johnny thought everything might be over- until he felt himself being pulled on to the boat by his team.

"Johnny, man, you alright?" Geoff asked.

"Fine," Johnny coughed, "thanks for the save- I thought I was done for a minute there."

"So now we know something's down there," Sunny sighed.

"That's not all," Geoff suddenly gasped, "I saw Courtney go down there too!"

For a minute, everything was silent.

"Uh, who?" Lucky asked.

"Courtney, the- nevermind, I gotta go save her!" Geoff exclaimed. With that, he pulled his mask down, and leapt into the water.

"Yeah, he's dead," Sunny sighed.

"Great," Vevo muttered, "he's too busy focusing on saving a member of the OTHER TEAM to look for the treasure. Someone else has to-"

"Screw it, I'll go," Quinn scoffed, "I'm not scared of a damn fish/"

Quinn dove into the water, leaving a slightly annoyed team behind her.

"She's not very agreeable, is she?" Sunny frowned.

"She gets results," Johnny shrugged.

"Maybe, but do you guys trust her?" Sunny asked.

"No way," Tyler said, "she's a little too willing to... hurt things. I say she goes next elimination."

"Really? Because I say Geoff goes," Vevo snapped, "he's obviously too smitten with that girl on the other team. He could be a liability."

"No way," Tyler frowned, "Geoff's awesome, we can't send him home!"

"We'll talk about this later if it comes to it," Johnny said, "but right now we should focus on the challenge."

"It's not really in our hands, is it?" Vevo asked, "It's up to them, not us!"

"But if they don't succeed, it will be up to you," Johnny frowned.

"Yeah, right," Vevo scoffed, "I'm not going down there."

"Yeah, you are," Johnny said, "you pull your weight around here, that's how this works."

"Oh?" Vevo asked, "And if I choose not to?"

Vevo crossed his arms, and took a step forward, as if to challenge Johnny. Johnny briefly contemplated striking him, but decided against it.

"If you choose not to," Johnny smiled, "then I reckon you ain't eating tonight."

Vevo's smile faltered.

"Fine, whatever," Vevo muttered, "I just don't want to die, alright?"

**CONFESSIONAL: Vevo**

_Screw Quinn or Geoff. Johnny needs to go down._

**CONFESSIONAL: Johnny**

_To be honest, I would have loved to dim Vevo's lights. But honestly, I don't enjoy conflict- and if anything, that worked more against him anyway. If you want to make someone look like a bigger fool than they are, stay calm when they get heated. They look that much worse in comparison._

**END CONFESSIONALS**

Harold was swimming around, trying to avoid the monster lurking around as best he could. It was then he spotted what his team had been looking for- one of Chris' chests. Smiling, he reached out to grab it- only for something to grab him instead. He had been yanked from behind, and then something horrifying happened- one of the tubes from his oxygen tanks was severed. Harold was released, and he immediately swam upwards, struggling to reach the his haste, he didn't notice another human like form swim down towards the treasure...

Eventually, Harold reached the water's surface, and ripped his mask off, gasping for air.

"Harold, you alright?" Duncan asked.

Duncan held out a hand, and helped him on board.

"Something grabbed me!" Harold exclaimed, "I tried to get away, but it damaged my oxygen tank, I had to-"

"It's alright," Duncan sighed, "you did what you had to."

"Besides," Alejandro put in, "you aren't the first to fair poorly this challenge. Don't dwell on it."

"What about Courtney?" Cody asked.

Harold shrugged, and shook his head.

"Great," Duncan muttered, "look, I'll go down and see if she's alright. If I'm not back in eight minutes, something went wrong."

~o.0.o~

Quinn was slowly heading back to her team's boat, treasure chest in hand. Incapacitating Harold had been easy enough, and so too had been nabbing the chest. She was beginning to smirk slightly, when she noticed something torpedoing towards her: the eel.

Oh no, she groaned, not now!

Right as the monster began to get dangerously close, however, something colossal darted past, taking the eel with it.

"What the hell...?" Quinn thought.

A few minutes later, Quinn had reached the boat, and hoisted the chest on board.

"You got it?" Veronica gasped, "You got it!"

"We need to get out of here," Quinn hissed, "NOW."

"What's wrong?" Veronica asked.

"Yeah, your sea monster?" Quinn frowned, "I saw something take it out like it was nothing. Something HUGE- didn't you guys see anything?"

"The water did ripple quite a bit a minute or two ago," Tyler said, "but that was about the gist of it."

"Whatever, doesn't matter," Quinn snapped, "we need to get going."

"Sure," Lance shrugged, "soon as Geoff gets back."

Geoff, as it would happen, was still swimming around in the water, when he finally spotted Courtney. Smiling, he swam over to her as fast as he could. Before he reached her however, he saw something slowly moving towards him from the distance. Geoff stopped to watch the appraoching mass- and then panicked as soon as he saw what it was.

Cthulhu had returned.

~o.0.o~

_Chris sat in the lab, watching men in white coats scurrying about, occasionally pausing to chat with a co-worker or write something down. Chris let out a sigh, and slammed his head around his desk._

"_Chris," a voice said, "we've been over this. You're herre to science, not pout."_

"_Listen, DAD," Chris snapped, turning around, "I don't care about your little projects, okay? We've been over this!"_

_Leonard McLean looked at his son, and sighed. Ever since Chris had turned sixteen, he had become more and more of a hassle to deal with._

"_Look, will you just cooperate with me for one day?" Leonard asked, "I'd just like to work with my son for once-"_

"_Yeah, since when has that mattered?" Chris snapped, "You've always cared about your interns more than your own family-"_

"_Chris, that's ENOUGH!" Leonard shouted, "You know what I think would do you some good? How about a few hours in the isolation chamber, hm?"_

"_Oh, go ahead!" Chris snapped, "I'm not afraid of your little-"_

"_Daddy?" a voice said._

_Chris turned around, and saw-_

Chris' alarm began blaring, and the host raised his head, groggily looking around the room.

"Great," he muttered, "stupid TV show. Stupid contestants. Stupid challenge. Stupid-"

"Yes, your broad vocabulary is truly impressive," VIA chimed in, "however, I've detected several anomalies along the beach. I would recommend investigation."

"Oh, that," Chris chuckled, "yeah, they must have found my little surprise."

"Oh?" VIA asked.

"Yup," Chris smiled, "You could say I managed to get an old friend to stop by."

~o.0.o~

The contestants were on their boats, trying to race back to the beach. The Cthulhu bot slowly stalked after them, occasionally reaching out to try and snatch a contestant. It already had Geoff and Courtney in one of its hands, although the campers realized an attempt at rescue would be pointless.

"Courtney, try to hang in there!" Geoff called, "We're gonna be okay!"

"Oh my god, I don't wanna die!" Courtney shouted.

"Relax, no one ever dies on this show- okay, well maybe one or two people have- okay, nevermind! Either way, WE'RE not going to die! We'll make it through this, I promise!" Geoff said.

"Oh man," Veronica groaned, "shouldn't we try and help-"

"SCREW them!" Quinn shouted, "We got the chest, let's just go!"

The boats pulled up to the beach, and the campers piled out. Cthulhu took one giant step on to the beach, and pulled his fist back, ready to hammer it down on the contestants- only to slowly lower it to the ground, and release Geoff and Courtney a second later.

"Wait a second, what just happened?" Eva asked, "It just let them go?"

"Of course!" Chris smiled, "I can't KILL you guys! Well, not yet anyway."

Everyone turned and saw Chris standing behind them.

"Surprised?" the host smirked.

"Not really," Cody frowned, "you do the whole 'mysteriously appear behind everyone' thing too often. It's lost it's effect."

"Hey, I'LL say when it's lost it's effect!" Chris snapped, "Until then, you just be quiet! Anyway, who found the chest? Cthulhu was triggered to appear once someone had."

"I did," Quinn said, dropping it on the ground before her.

"Really?" Chris frowned, "Well then, it looks like the Legion won again!"

The Ronin groaned, and began muttering.

"Ronin, get ready, because you have elimination in one hour," Chris said, "as for the Legion, you have the rest of the evening to do as you please!"

~o.0.o~

Lance was in the boy's cabin alone, feverishly looking for his medication once again.

"Oh come ON!" he shouted, "How could I lose it again so soon?"

"You didn't lose it," a voice behind him said.

Lane turned around, and in walked Vevo, carrying a small, orange bottle.

"Give those back," Lance demanded, "NOW."

"Relax," Vevo smiled, "we want the same thing, man! I just needed to talk to you, and this was the best way to get your attention."

"I said give them back."

"Once I've said my peace," Vevo shrugged, "that's all I want."

"Fine," Lance snapped, "but I suggest you hurry the hell up."

"Hey, we don't need to be enemies," Vevo told him, "I... we have a lot more in common than you think."

"Oh?" Lance asked.

"I know what it's like to be treated differently. This condition of yours- you feel like it holds you back sometimes, don't you?" Vevo asked, "You KNOW you can do better, don't you? But how often are you given that chance?"

Lance said nothing.

"People like us," Vevo continued, "people like us are never given what we want. And you know what we want? A chance, just like everyone else. Hell, Lance, you make a better leader than those other yahoos on the other seasons of this crappy show."

"Get to the point."

With that, Vevo tossed Lance his medication.

"I'm just saying," Vevo sighed, "you deserve better. And if you WANT better- come find me, and we can discuss how to make that happen."

For a while, nothing was said. Until, at last, Lance broke the silence.

"Alright," he muttered, "what did you have in mind."

"Simple," Vevo said, a wicked grin spreading from ear to ear.

~o.0.o~

A few hours later, and the elimination ceremony was underway, and Chris had just started passing out the marshmallows.

"First marshmallow goes to," the host started, "... DUNCAN!

DJ and Alejandro also get marshmallows, despite each of them doing a craptacular jub today. Really guys, you blew it.

Eva. Seriously, Eva? Have none of you learned your lesson?

Cody and Gwen. Which, come on, I'm sure you all saw coming.

Courtney and Harold, it's down to you two. Harold, you failed where your team needed you most, and Courtney, reduced to the role of damsel in distress- and can anyone really trust you with your boyfriend on the other team? Final marshmallow goes to...

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"COURTNEY!"

Courtney caught her marshmallow, and smiled.

"What?" Harold frowned, "Why me?"

"Sorry, dude," Duncan frowned, "we didn't want to, but someone needed to go."

"All right," Harold sighed, "at least I did better this time around, right?"

"Right," DJ smiled, "take care of yourself, man."

Harold smiled and waved to the other contestants, and made his way to the boat of losers.

**CONFESSIONAL: Duncan**

_I do feel a bit bad for voting off Harold. But out of everyone on the team, he's proven the least useful overall, and right now we need to even things up with the Legion before we hit the merge._

**END CONFESSIONALS**

"Well, it's been a rough day for you guys," Chris said, "go get some sleep, and try to work on not sucking so much anymore!"

"Gee, thanks," Eva muttered.

"Well, that's all for now, folks," Chris said to the camera, "so tune in next time for an all new episode of

CAMP TV:

SPECTER ISLANDS!"


	13. Little Vault of Horror

It was during the Ronin's elimination ceremony, and the Legion was deciding what to do with the treasure chest they had won that day.

"We need to use it for an advantage," Quinn said, "if we keep beating the Ronin, we can enter the merge with the numbers in our favor."

"No way," Veronica said, "we need the food! Johnny's exhausted from all the hunting."

"It's fine," Johnny said, waving the accusation away, "I can deal with a little fatigue. But I am worried about not being able to provide for you guys. The area I usually use for food is dwindling. If I don't find an alternative soon, we might go hungry."

"Hungrier than usual," Vevo grumbled.

Johnny glared at Vevo, but continued, "I don't want to risk you guys going hungry."

"Look, I won the challenge," Quinn hissed, "that counts for something, doesn't it? We need to keep on the offensive."

"I agree," Lucky shrugged, "next time the Ronin goes down, we use that chest and make it a double elimination. That should be all the edge we need."

"Finally," Quinn smiled, "someone with sense. I'm all for that plan."

"Okay, you each have good points," Lance stepped in, "why don't we take a vote?"

"Alright, whatever," Quinn sighed, "who votes for using it against the Ronin?"

Quinn, Lucky, Vevo and Tyler raised their hands.

"Who votes for using it to get food?" Lance asked.

Everyone else raised their hands.

"We win," Sunny smirked at Quinn.

"Fine, whatever," Quinn scoffed, "you're making a mistake, but whatever."

"Alright, I'll turn this in for food as soon as-" Lance started.

"Everybody, come quick!" Chris shouted, "Down on the beach, right now!"

The Legion turned to each other, and then started run down the beach. One contestant in particular, however, hung back for a minute, eying the chest.

~o.0.o~

A few minutes later, and all of the contestants were gathered on the beach, surrounded by darkness.

"Where's Chris?" Gwen frowned, "It's getting late, we should all be inside- what if HE shows up?"

"Who?" Cody asked, "Chris?"

"No!" Gwen exclaimed, "The-"

All of a sudden, a canister landed near the contestants, and opened up, releasing gas. With seconds, the contestants were all unconscious. A few men in hazmat suits began to drag the contestants away.

Chris was watching all of this from a control room, laughing manically.

"God, I'm SO glad I got those new interns!" he smirked, "Well folks, I figured since it was getting nearer to Halloween, we'd have not one special this year, but TWO! If you think back to season one, you'll remember the challenge in which I so ingeniously forced the competitors to face their fears! Well, it's time for an update on that challenge! Except this time, I'm using an ingenious twist instead of importing snakes or chickens or whatever. Get ready for phobia factor ROUND 2!"

~o.0.o~

When the contestants finally awoke, they were in the middle of what looked to be a large bunker.

"What the... where are we?" Courtney groaned.

"I'm glad you asked," Chris said over intercom, "you've been placed in one of the island's many fortified bunkers. There are plenty of rooms to explore, but exploration isn't today's challenge. Today's challenge is facing your fears!"

The veteran competitors began to look at each other nervously, while the new competitors were unimpressed.

"What is he yappin' about?" Lucky asked.

"Oh, you'll see," Chris snickered, "but first, because I just loooooove making things difficult for you guys, we're going to a quick team switch! So, to even the odds, the Ronin get two members of the Legion, while the Legion gets one member of the Ronin."

The Legion groaned, while the Ronin smiled to themselves.

"Great," Quinn sighed, "so much for the numbers game."

"However," Chris continued, "because they're giving up TWO members, the Legion can pick anyone they want from the Ronin. So, Legion, who do you choose to join your ranks?"

The Legion talked it over, then turned back to the Ronin.

"We pick Courtney," Lance reported.

Courtney smiled, and rushed over to the other team, embracing Geoff.

"Thank you guys!" Courtney smiled.

"Actually, it was Quinn's idea," Veronica said.

"Uncharacteristically nice of you, I might add," Sunny frowned.

"Yeah, whatever," Quinn snapped, "look, I may not play nice all the time, but that doesn't make me a terrible person."

"Of course it doesn't," Sunny shrugged, "being a terrible person makes you a terrible person."

**CONFESSIONAL: Sunny**

_I don't trust Quinn. At all. She's too eager to resort to violence in challenges, not to mention being a bit of a bitch in general. So know, I don't think she suggested that out of the goodness of her heart. I'd believe it coming from someone like Veronica, but not Quinn. _

**CONFESSIONAL: Quinn**

_Sunny needs to learn to watch her mouth. Especially when talking about me. I'll admit, though, she's right- I didn't suggest Courtney because I'm a Geoffney fan, I sgguested Courtney because it's a good tactic. What tactic is that? Well, simple. Geoff and Courtney have both made it to the merge, and why? They're good competitors. Now, I have those two competitors on my team, and on friendly terms. Which is good, because I need all the help I can get. Lucky and I aren't exactly on bad terms, but I doubt he'd help me eliminate Sunny. Although, getting HIM to do it would just be... well,it'd be a perfect slap in the face to Sunny. Of course, it might just be quicker for her to have an accident._

**END CONFESSIONALS**

"As for the two players going to the Ronin," Chris thought, "let's have...Vevo and Lance!"

"WHAT?" Lance exclaimed.

"You heard me," Chris smirked, "you're on the other team now, Lancey-boy!"

Lance scowled, although Vevo smirked and clapped him on the back.

"This makes things easier for us," Vevo whispered, "Eva is on the other team, remember?"

"If you say so," Lance frowned.

**CONFESSIONAL: Lucky**

_Aw, no- LANCE! Chris, you finky bastard! Lance is one of the only friends I have- I don't want to compete against him! I mean, I know it had to happen eventually, but DAMN!_

**CONFESSIONAL: Lance**

_I can't believe Chris would pull something like- okay, no, I can believe it. I guess Vevo IS right, it'll be easier to work with him and Eva this way. But still, I don't like it. I'm not going to say something ridiculous like everyone in the Legion was family or anything, but we were friends. Most of us anyway. I'll miss competing alongside Lucky and Johnny and the rest._

_**END CONFESSIONALS**_

Lance turned to Lucky, and sighed.

"Sorry brother," Lance sighed, "it was great while it lasted. I'll see you at the merge, right?"

"All the way to the top, baby," Lucky smiled, "I expect to see you there."

"Count on it," Lance smirked.

Once the two had gone over to the Ronin, Chris continued talking.

"This challenge is endurance," Chris explained, "I'm going to pump a small amount of gas into the vault's ventilation system- you know the Batman villain, Scarecrow? You know that fear gas he uses? Well, we have that. Sort of."

A few of the contestants began laughing.

"Come on, Chris," Courtney said, "that stuff isn't-"

Suddenly, gas began to pour in through the vents.

"Overtime, the dosage will intensify, causing severe hallucinations," Chris smirked, "once it becomes to much for you, go to the door on your left, and push the button next to the doorway. One of my interns will let you out. This challenge lasts three hours- whichever team has the most players left by the end of the challenge wins immunity from tonight's elimination."

"Oh no," DJ groaned, "another fear challenge?"

"Hey, it'll be okay," Duncan said, "just try to focus on winning."

"Or you could stop being such a baby," Eva scoffed, "you know, just a thought."

Everyone glared at Eva.

"What?" She scoffed.

DJ let out a groan, and buried his head in his hands.

Miri, meanwhile, was ecstatic.

"HA!" the redhead laughed, "Finally, a challenge where I can exceed at!"

"What do you mean?" Veronica frowned, "Why would this be so easy for you?"

"Because I don't need fear," Miri smiled, "I have SCIENCE! After years of study, I've realized logic and reasoning easily wins out against silly superstitions."

With that, the redhead pulled out a notebook.

" I'll just sit here and do some calculations," Miri smiled.

"Wow," Sunny nodded, "that's actually kind of impressive."

"Hey, is it just me, or does it feel... fuzzy in here?" Veronica frowned, "Wow, I'M really fuzzy!"

"Look, kid," Lucky sighed, "please don't start talking about ponies and magic swords again, alright?"

"Hey, that was just- well, I don't really know what the was," Veronica shrugged, "but don't worry, it won't happen again. Um, I hope."

Eva was sitting in the corner, bored. She looked around the room, until something caught her eye- a tarantula that was on the floor a few feet away.

"SPIDER!" Eva shrieked, "Someone kill it, KILL IT!"

Everyone turned and stared at Eva.

"...What spider?" DJ asked.

"The one that's-" Eva started, pointing. She stopped, dumbfounded. It was gone. "It... It was just there, though! It must be the gas-"

"Or you could stop being such a baby," Duncan snapped, "you know, just a thought."

**CONFESSIONAL: Eva**

**Eva:**_I don't understand what everyone's problem is- I mean, I made it to the final five last time. If it wasn't for Bridgette betraying me, I would have gone on and won the game! My teammates should recognize that I'm the most capable player still in the game! I mean, who else here has made it to the final five?"_

**Chris:****_ over the intercom* _**_Let's see: Cody made it to second place, Gwen to third, Geoff made it to the final five TWICE-_

**Eva: **_Okay, okay, whatever! I see your point! But still, I'm the most likeable person-_

**Chris: **_That would also be Geoff._

**Eva: **_WILL YOU SHUT UP ALREADY?_

**END CONFESSIONALS**

Back in the bunker, things were beginning to go a little less smoothly.

"Did someone turn out the lights?" Gwen groaned, "It's getting really dark in here-"

"Gwen, the lights are the same as they were when we first got in here," Cody frowned.

"No, that can't be right," Gwen frowned, "how do you not-"

"SNAKES!" DJ Screamed suddenly, then, "...no, wait. Sorry everybody, that's just a piece of string. False alarm."

"Wow," Lucky frowned, "it seem hotter to you guys?"

"Nope," Quinn said, "just you, baby."

Quinn smirked at Sunny, who just rolled her eyes.

"No, I'm serious," Lucky muttered, taking off his coat, "what the hell is going on?"

"You're probably starting to feel the affects of the gas," Miri shrugged, "it's only going to go downhill from there."

"Peachy," Lucky sighed.

**CONFESSIONAL: Quinn**

_I started thinking, and I realized something. If this is going to get as bad as Chris suggested, well... it would be easy to take advantage of. Not initially, but fear is something easily exploited._

**END CONFESSIONAL**

Chris sat in the control room, smiling.

"Alright," he smirked, "time to crank up the gas!"

The host hit a button, and the fear gas began to flow more freely through the room.

"Hey, VIA?" Chris called out, "You sure this stuff is safe?"

"No."

"Works for me!"

Back in the bunker, a few of the contestants began to wander off and explore.

"So, what do you think this place was used for originally?" Courtney asked.

"Beats me," Geoff frowned, "this whole place strikes me as weird, to be honest."

"Yeah, me too," Courtney nodded, "I think this place was used as some sort of science facility at one point."

"That might make sense," Geoff shrugged, "I- ow! Why'd you hit me?"

"Um, I didn't," Courtney frowned.

"Well, something did," Geoff muttered, "let's just- OW! Again!"

"Are... are you okay, Geoff?" Courtney asked, concerned.

"This must be the challenge," Geoff groaned, "Chris must have been telling the truth!"

"Hey, it's okay," Courtney smiled, putting an arm around him, "don't worry about it. We'll be fine- you just have to keep focused."

"If you say so," Geoff shrugged.

Half an hour passed, and things began to get more intense.

To Gwen, everything was getting darker. She curled up, putting her face in her knees, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up, expecting to see Cody, but to her horror, it was the man in the bunny costume. Gwen let out a terrified yell, and ran for the door. She slammed the button until it opened up, and then ran straight out.

"GWEN!" Cody shouted, getting to his feet. Eva, however, pulled him back down.

"If you leave tonight," Eva hissed, "I SWEAR you'll be the one going home tonight."

Cody watched as the door closed, and he let out a sigh.

"Yeah," he frowned, "whatever."

"Hey, don't worry man," DJ said, "she'll be fine. Once she realizes it was just the challenge-"

"That's the thing," Cody gulped, "I'm not sure she will."

Eva was still curled up in a corner, shivering.

"Spiders," she groaned, "s...so many spiders!"

Quinn, who had been sitting across from her, took notice.

"What spiders?" Quinn asked, "You mean like THIS?"

With that, Quinn threw a wadded up piece of paper across the room. To Eva, however, it looked like a monstrous tarantula. Eva screamed, got to her feet, and ran straight to the door. She hit the button once, and as soon as the door opened, she ran right out.

"That was mean, Quinn," Veronica huffed.

"So?" Quinn snickered, "It's winning us the challenge, isn't it?"

Tyler sat in the corner, smiling. He had conquered his fear of chickens in the first season, so right now, he had nothing to worry about.

"Don't worry guys," Tyler smiled, "I got this! WOO!"

Tyler's smile faded, however, when he saw a group of chickens waddling towards him.

"Oh, you think you can scare me, huh?" Tyler laughed, "BRING IT! I'll deep fry you guys!"

A second later, however, Tyler was rushing towards the door.

"OH GOD!" Tyler sobbed, "THERE'S SO MANY! LET ME OUT! PLEASE LET ME OUT!"

The door opened, and Tyler rushed outside.

"Are you joking?" Quinn frowned, "CHICKENS?"

Meanwhile, Alejandro sat alongside the rest of his team, looking bored.

"Hey, Al," DJ frowned, "you okay? You ain't freaking out or anything, are you?"

"No, DJ," Alejandro sighed, "my worst fears have already come to pass, amigo."

"Oh yeah?" DJ asked, "Do you mind if I ask what it was?"

"My public humiliation," Alejandro sighed, "right for everyone to see on national television!"

"Oh, right," DJ frowned, "I'm sorry for bringing it up- but you did kinda deserve it."

"Probably," Alejandro sighed, "but still. My whole life has been ruined- my friends and family have all abandoned me. This season is my last chance at redemption."

"Hey, man," DJ smiled, "don't worry about it, alright? If your friends ditched you over losing some reality show, they weren't your friends to begin with."

"Maybe," Alejandro sighed, "but that doesn't make it any easier."

"I know it doesn't," DJ nodded, "but don't worry. You'll find a way to move on."

"If you say so," Alejandro sighed.

They were interrupted when Veronica ran out of the room, screaming.

"BUGS!" she shouted, "EVERYWHERE!"

The door slammed behind her, signaling she had been eliminated from the challenge.

"See?" DJ smiled, "We might be able to catch up and win this! Then you'll be a step closer to redemption and everything, right?"

Alejandro wasn't convinced, but he gave a smile and nod anyway.

A few minutes later, and Chris had turned up the pressure once more- this time, Geoff cracked.

"HAIL!" he shouted, "I need to get out of here!"

He started banging on the door until it opened, and then he leapt outside.

"Geoff, WAIT!" Courtney called, going out after him.

Before she could realize her mistake, the door slammed shut, locking them both out.

"You've gotta be KIDDING!" Quinn exclaimed.

"Nice," Vevo smirked, "See Lance? First day on the new team and we're already off to a good- wha... what is that?"

"What is WHAT?" Lance asked.

"It's... oh god," Vevo groaned, "NOOOOO! Get AWAY!"

Lance shook his head, confused. He didn't see what Vevo saw- a giant slug, writhing towards him.

"Ewww, get away!" Vevo shouted again.

"Will you come your ass down?" Lance snapped.

"No way, I didn't sign up for this!" Vevo exclaimed, "I'm out!"

Vevo rushed past everyone, and out the door.

Meanwhile, Lucky was also having a bit of trouble.

"Guys," he called, "guys, where are you?"

HE couldn't see anyone else- the room was covered in smoke. And where there was smoke-

"FIRE!" Lucky shouted, "Everyone, get out! Hurry!"

"Lucky?" a voice called out, "Lucky, HELP ME!"

"D...dad?" Lucky stammered.

~o.0.o~

"Chris watched from his control room, and yawned slightly.

"BORING!" he called out, "Let's see what this thing can really do!"

With that, Chris began slamming down random buttons.

Warning signs began to flash on Chris' computer.

"There," he smirked, "much better!"

~o.0.o~

Back in the vault, Lucky managed to make it to the door, and slam on the button.

"LET US OUT!" he called, "We're going to DIE in here, you BASTARDS!"

The door opened, and Lucky staggered into the next room.

"Aww man," Lance groaned, seeing his friend's misfortune, "sorry, dude."

**CONFESSIONAL: Lance**

_I don't get it. I'm afraid of tons of things- so why wasn't the gas affecting me? The only thing I can figure is that the medication I took made me... immune, somehow? I don't know._

**END CONFESSIONAL**

Cody was sitting in the corner of the room, head in his hands.

"You all right, man?" Duncan asked.

"I'm worried about Gwen," Cody shrugged, "I hope she's calming down. She's been... she's been under a lot of stress lately."

"About what?" Duncan asked.

"I don't know!" Cody exclaimed, "I mean, I wish she'd talk to me about it, but-"

"Cody!" Gwen's voice called, "Cody, help me!"

"Gwen?" Cody gasped, "GWEN! I'M COMING!"

"No, Cody wait!" Duncan started, "That's not-"

But before Duncan could explain what had actually happened, Cody was already out of the room.

"Great," Duncan groaned. He turned and glared at Quinn, who had really been the one to call for help.

"Don't look at me like that," Quinn shrugged, "all's fair in love and war, right?"

"Attention, contestants!" Chris said over the intercom, "The clock has stopped, and the challenge is officially OVER!"

"But we both have four people left," DJ said, "Who wins?"

"I'm glad you asked, "Chris said, "turns out, we don't need a tie breaker, because in the end, the LEGION lost more players than the Ronin! And as a result, they'll be on the chopping block tonight!"

The remaining four ronin cheered.

"Wait a second," DJ smiled, "I'm... I'm still here! I won the fear challenge!"

"You sure did," Duncan smiled, "Nice going, man!"

"Yeah yeah, that's great," Chris scoffed, "get out here and get ready for elimination!"

The door opened, and the eight contestants eagerly walked out.

~o.0.o~

The Legion were at the elimination ceremony, waiting for Chris to hand out marshmallows.

"Okay," the host said, "first marshmallow goes to...

Johnny.

Miri.

Sunny.

Geoff and Courtney.

Lucky.

And... Tyler! Quinn and Veronica, it's down to you. Veronica, you lost the challenge very early on, and Quinn, well... while you may be good at challenges, you EXCEL at making enemies. Last marshmallow goes to...

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"...QUINN!"

"What?" Sunny and Veronica both shouted at the same time.

"Sorry kid," Quinn smirked, catching her marshmallow, "boat of losers awaits."

"That's MY LINE!" Chris shouted, "But... yeah, what she said!"

"Oh, alright," Veronica sighed, "Well, it was fun, competing with you guys. I'll miss you, Sunny."

"I'll miss you too," Sunny frowned, "take care of yourself, sweetie."

"Just... let me go get Niko from my cabin," Veronica frowned, "and I'll get out of here."

**CONFESSIONAL: Quinn**

_I knew making friends with Geoff and Courtney was a good move. It took a little convincing, but they, Miri, and Tyler were willing to vote off Veronica with me. Of course, I probably could have just had them vote of Sunny, but... to be frank, I'll have some fun with her first. I want Sunny to suffer a bit, and then she's out._

**END CONFESSIONAL**

"Well, that's all we have for you today!" Chris said to the camera, giving his usual sign off, "tune in next time to see what we have in store for our campers in our SECOND holiday special! Here's a hint- it involves zombies and explosions! It's a brand new, kick-ass episode you won't want to miss next time on

CAMP TV:

SPECTER ISLANDS!"


End file.
